Salmon Eye
Architect: Kvorning Design
Location: Hardangerfjord, Norway
Type: Pavilion
Year: 2022
Photographs: Kvorning Design, Sebastian L Torjusen, Rasmus Jurkatam
Eide Fjordbruk is unveiling Salmon Eye, a floating aquaculture information center and art installation in Norway’s Hardangerfjord, located just outside Rosendal. Its unique architecture, design, and immersive experience installations have been created by Kvorning Design, intending to inspire and inform the world on how to better feed the planet with sustainable seafood. The project was conceived and financed by Sondre Eide, the CEO and third-generation salmon farming business of Eide Fjordbruk.
What you see is what you get
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Salmon Eye is a world-class visitor and learning center designed to communicate the impact of aquaculture and its production techniques. The exterior design of the center mimics the shiny, silvery skin of salmon and the shape takes after the fish’s eye – hence the name of the center Salmon Eye. It glistens brightly in the Hardangerfjord, one of Norway’s most stunning fjords, and can be seen from miles away – it can even be seen from an airplane landing at the nearby airport or through the latest uploaded satellite images made by Google Earth. Indeed, it is quickly becoming an iconic, floating landmark in Norway.
Arne Kvorning, CEO of Kvorning Design and mastermind of the architectural design of the pavilion, is very satisfied with the outcome, especially because the unveiling of the pavilion revealed how the produced design stayed completely true to the sketches and visuals he made back in 2019:
‘Salmon Eye will become an international design icon for Eide Fjordbruk and revolutionize sustainable aquaculture in the future. I am convinced that the floating aquaculture information center and art installation will be setting new standards for sustainable aquaculture in every aspect. Design, interaction, research, technology, and immersive experiences. I am extremely thrilled to experience how the initial ideas are intact. Salmon Eye looks completely like our early visuals. It has been fantastic to design the floating pavilion together with such a trustful, ambitious and visionary entrepreneur like Sondre Eide, the Eide family, and the dedicated team at Eide Fjordbruk who believed in the idea and envisioned its full potential from the very beginning three years ago.’
Sustainable aquaculture in new evolutionary way
Salmon Eye intends to be a leading forum for learning, teaching, and holding open discussions about tomorrow’s salmon farming. The aim is to build and evolve toward creating highly sustainable means of aquaculture practices. For many years now Eide Fjordbruk has been on the forefront of developing highly sustainable salmon farming: indeed, they were the first fish farming company to produce carbon-neutral salmon and the first to share environmental reports. One of their latest implemented policies was to have their working boats and facilities be fully operational on green energy. In addition, they are also in the final phase of developing a new closed technology system, called Watermoon, which enables them to farm in the fjord with no negative impact on the local environment, climate, and other animal and plant species.
Eminent speakers on future fish farming
The Grand Unveiling of Salmon Eye took place in Hardangerfjord, Norway, on the 2nd of September, 2022. Several eminent speakers discussed the future of fish farming, including Bjørnar Skjæran and Sigrid Hagerup Melhus, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Climate. Also participating at the roundtable was Tom Rivett-Carnac, one of the principal architects of the Paris Agreement and co-founder of Global Optimism in 2016.
Salmon Eye – A vision below the surface
The unveiling of Salmon Eye, the world’s largest floating aquaculture art installation by Norwegian salmon farming business Eide Fjordbruk, took place in Hardangerfjorden on the 2nd of September, 2022. An installation designed to explain the impact of aquaculture and its production techniques, with an immersive audio-visual display spanning four levels. With Kvorning Design’s architecture and conceptual design, Salmon Eye will be the forum to inspire, inform and interact with the world on how to better feed the planet with sustainable seafood in the future. www.salmoneye.no
Watch video of the opening here
Project Details
- Project: Salmon Eye
- Client: Eide Fjordbruk, Hålandsdalen, Norway
- Location: In the Hardangerfjord at Hågardsneset just outside Rosendal, Norway
- Architecture and experience design: Kvorning Design, Denmark
- AV: Creative Technology Norway
- Contractor AS: Fluctus, Norway
- Fabrication: Marketex Marine, Estonia
- Project period: 2019-2022
- Grand Unveiling: 2nd of September, 2022
Project Info
- Form: Double-curved ellipsoid structure
- Height: 14,55 m spanning 4 levels (above and below the water)
- Area: 1,000.6 square meters
- Weight: 1,256 tons
- Location: Located above 300 m depth, designed and built to withstand over 4 m waves
- Visits: Only guided visits by electric boats in Rosendal, Norway.
