The building and the architecture

Kilden performing arts centre was completed in 2012, and has since been rewarded for innovative, beautiful and exciting solutions. konsertsalen is one of Europe's most advanced spaces for live music in terms of building technology and acoustics. Teatersalen enables full-scale productions of musicals and grand operas. Behind the scenes there are exceptional, high-tech solutions that give directors, set designers and lighting artists unique scope.

Since its inception, Kilden has produced and delivered art experiences to a large and enthusiastic audience. Around 180,000 people visit the building every year, which has four auditoriums with seating for 2,270 people.

About the architecture

ALA architects Ltd (Helsinki) in collaboration with SMS arkitekter AS (Kristiansand) 

Kilden has a major impact on the cultural identity of the city of Kristiansand and the entire region. This is supported by the architectural expression that is instantly recognizable and unique, firmly rooted in its productive content and the context of the port.

The building's most important expression is the architectural meeting between artists and audience. The varying shapes of the halls are covered by an undulating wooden wall. The monumental and abstract wall, clad in local oak, separates reality from fantasy. The audience, as they pass through, will move from the natural landscape to the realm of art. This wall expresses both the diversity of artistic achievements in the building and the power that the combination triggers. Made of wedge-shaped boards, the wall is not just a disguised theatrical effect, but a tangible tactile element that enhances the acoustics and at the same time refers to the 17th century export of oak based in this port. 

The industrial black facades in the support areas help to emphasize the foyer's spectacular wave wall.

Awards and honors

CNN Travel named Kilden one of the world's 15 most beautiful concert halls in 2014.

Architecture Merit Award 2013 from the United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT). A prestigious award in the field of design and technology, based on creativity, contextual resonance, functional operation, use of new technology and social responsibility. Five international venues were honored. Kilden and the Gahrsington Opera Pavilion in Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, England were the only two from Europe.

Kilden Theatre and Concert Hall in Kristiansand, together with four other projects, received an honorable mention from the jury for the Norwegian Light Award 2013. The jury awarded the prize to Holmenkollbakken, and gave honorable mention to Verdensparken Furuset, Tinnemyra at Notodden, Kulturkvartalet in Porsgrunn and Kilden Theatre and Concert Hall. Cowi A/S is responsible for the lighting design of Kilden .

The Finnish Steel Building Award 2011 for innovative combination of materials; steel, wood and stone. Finnish Ruukki was responsible for the detailed planning, production and assembly of the building's steel structures.

The Norwegian Concrete Element Award 2010 given to ALA Architects and SMS Arkitekter AS for Kilden Theater and Concert Hall. The prize is awarded for beautiful and exciting solutions.

Nominated as one of four Norwegian projects in the competition for the EU prize for contemporary architecture "Mies van der Rohe Award 2013". The award was won by Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Center in Iceland.

History 1980-2012

16,500 square meters - 4 halls - 2,277 seats. It's quite a process behind the fantastic building at Silokaia!

1980-2000

Towards the end of the 1980s, work began on what would eventually become Kilden. Kristiansand has never had its own orchestra stage, and at that time the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra launched the idea of its own stage. Agder Teater, which was established in 1991, immediately began to look at the possibilities of moving from or expanding the current theater building. The building dates from 1976 and was designed for performances, not productions.

The idea of creating a joint house for theater and orchestra emerged, especially after Agder Teater gained the status of regional theater in 1995. The discussion about what a cultural center should contain, and where it should be located, went on throughout the 90s

Several site alternatives were launched in the 1990s: Meieritomta was considered, but eventually rejected due to its size and unwillingness to place a large and towering building in that part of the city.

2001

In 2001, the Kristiansand city council decided that the concert hall and theater should be built in separate buildings, and that the concert hall should be located at Smiths kai by the bus station. However, a more thorough investigation showed that the site was not suitable for the purpose. Lagmannsholmen was also proposed, but as it turned out that it would be many years before the container port could be moved, the alternative was dropped.

2002-2003

Financing was uncertain in relation to both a theater house and a concert hall. In 2002, a co-location of the cultural institutions was therefore considered most sensible. In April, a recommendation was presented to the city council that the theater and concert hall should be co-located, and that it should be built at Bekskjær by Silokaia on Odderøya. Two months later, the city council approved the co-location.

On October 17, 2003, the city council approved the establishment of and participation in the company Teater- og Konserthus for Sørlandet IKS. A similar decision was made by Vest-Agder county council in a meeting on October 28, 2003. Three days later, Teater- og Konserthus for Sørlandet IKS was formally established, and a board of directors was appointed. The board was instructed to be responsible for the planning, design and construction of a joint theater and concert hall for Southern Norway in Kristiansand.

2004-2007

The architectural competition was announced in 2004 and 95 participants from Europe, North America and Asia submitted their work. On February 14, 2005, the winning design, drawn by the Finnish architectural firm ALA Architects, was adopted as the basis for the implementation of the project. ALA Architects chose to collaborate with SMS Arkitekter in Kristiansand and formed the company ALA Arkitekter AS. Throughout 2005 and 2006, drawings and sketches were reworked and optimized with a particular focus on acoustics and theater technology. The sketch project was presented in June 2006, and the preliminary project for Kilden began in August of the same year.

Following a decision by the city council on September 13, 2006 and a decision by the county council on September 21, 2006, it was decided that the name of the cultural center would be Kilden IKS with the subtitle Teater- og Konserthus for Sørlandet. The infrastructure and parking garage sub-projects were prepared and processed in the fall of 2006. The tenders for the parking garage have been submitted and the negotiations will be finalized in August 2007. In February 2007, work began on preparing the site and towards the end of the year, construction of the parking garage will begin.

On August 16, 2007, Kilden 's board of directors approved the final feasibility study, and the tenders for the actual theater and concert hall were sent out the same autumn.

2011-2012

In the fall of 2011, the construction work was completed, and in January 2012 Kilden opened its doors to the public.