Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, cofounder of global architecture and design firm Snøhetta, has been named the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2024. In this interview with FRAME, Thorsen’s achievements in transdisciplinary architecture, energy-positive constructions, and unwavering commitment to holistic sustainability demonstrate the merits behind his receipt of this award.

Since cofounding Snøhetta in 1989, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen has been behind the firm’s holistic transdisciplinary approach, combining architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and graphic and digital design to create spaces truly in conversation with their surroundings. A leader in energy-positive architecture, Thorsen and Snøhetta have been talking about – and acting on – the need to reduce the built environment’s impact on the natural one long before many others. As the urgent need for truly sustainable architecture only increases, we’ll continue to look to Snøhetta – and Thorsen – for inspiration. 

Snøhetta has always been the epitome of a transdisciplinary practice. You’ve found fluidity between architecture, interior and product design in your practice. Today, it has become a more common approach and (arguably) transdisciplinary somewhat of an ‘overused’ word. Having embodied it from the very start, what is the true value of a transdisciplinary approach to you? 

Kjetil Trædal Thorsen: Since we started up in 1987 as a studio focusing equally on landscape architecture and architecture, we have become increasingly aware of how influential sharing each other’s professional insights, knowledge and interests has been on thinking and design. Conversations are more open and the effect on sustainable solutions has become evident. Today, we embrace interior and product design as well as graphic and digital design, urbanism and public art. All these disciplines influence our physical surroundings in multiple ways.

Photos: Lars Petter Pettersen

Sámi heritage runs through the core of the cultural and educational hub in Kautokeino, Norway. A collaboration between Snøhetta, 70°N Arkitektur and artist Joar Nango, Čoarvemátta unites three disparate entities under one roof – a high school, national theatre and reindeer herding school. 

For the past 15 years, we’ve tried to further develop our transdisciplinary approach into something of a process of transpositioning. The transdisciplinary approach brings different professions to the table, but transpositioning also allows you to leave the constraints of your profession during creative sessions. This brings more aspects of a person than their professional point of view into the process. People may even swap professions to be released from their future obligations and biased positions. The process simply allows freer thinking. 

Many of your projects serve as case studies for how to not just meet classification systems such as BREEAM or LEED, but to surpass them. What’s your view on the role of such classification systems? And has that role changed over the years? 

These classification systems have been vital in addressing the urgent need for bringing conscious decision-making into our professions. They have clarified issues of sustainability that were not necessarily valued before these systems were introduced. It is still important for us to check out the many considerations embedded in these systems, but maybe even more important, it has allowed us to convince clients that it is possible to go beyond their requirements.

Photos: Yumeng Zhu

Inspired by its natural surroundings, the Beijing City Library’s monumental architecture helps to reestablish the library as a culturally and socially significant space. 

In addition, these systems have influenced building regulations in many countries, pushing legal requirements for minimum sustainability to the forefront. We do, however, know that this minimum will not solve the current climate and sustainability issues with the speed needed. 

Photos: Ivar Kvaal

Located at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline, Under Europe’s first underwater restaurant, embracing its unique location’s natural biodiversity. 

There will be compromises on the road to sustainability. Designers and clients will potentially have to abandon or at least amend their favoured material palettes – and even challenge their personal aesthetics. Do you think sustainability goals will eventually give rise to a new look for luxury? And is that needed? 

Absolutely. We need not only to change our preferred materials from an aesthetic point of view but also from a sustainability and ethics point of view. This could lead to new expressions, seemingly strange for many at the beginning, but through meaningful content they will at some point be seen as beautiful. 

Photo: Bitmap/Henrik Moksnes

Photo: Henrik Moksnes

A group of fjord-facing cabins, forming The Bolder, on the west coast of Norway by Snøhetta and Vipp provide an uninterrupted – yet comfortable – nature experience. 

A key focus area for Snøhetta has been to design buildings that pay back their CO2 footprint as the construction industry at large is still responsible for half of all the CO2 emissions worldwide. It seems like an extremely urgent but far future to reach an energy-positive industry. Are you optimistic? 

I think I was born optimistic. You must believe we as human beings can turn things around through positive development. Giving up is a failure. 

Photos: Keishin Horikoshi /SS

In the heart of Tokyo, Burnside is a casual café and eatery by day and a restaurant, bar and lounge by night, its design was developed closely with Bronx-based food collective, Ghetto Gastro. 

Your projects span the globe. From your experience, what are some of the most complex places to achieve your sustainability goals and why? 

I believe all places have challenges, although not necessarily the same. Social sustainability could be considered the mother of all sustainabilities and without stable political and participative regimes, education, economic equity through job creation and distribution of welfare, environmental or even cultural sustainability will struggle. Typically, this means that a younger generation is more aware of the challenges and rich nations must take a lead in exemplifying solutions for others to follow. It must somehow pay off to act sustainably and the results must be documented. 

Photo: Helene Binet

Photo: Gerald Zugmann

As part of a larger effort to revitalize Oslo’s historically industrial waterfront, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet returns the reclaimed land to the city’s residents. 

What are your hopes for the future of spatial design and how will you build towards that? 

I hope we will have societies that understand the psychological importance of our built and designed environment. We as a whole will understand that there are no simple solutions and that complexity needs strong collaborative models to benefit all life on earth.