Snøhetta-designed landmark for peace is unveiled in Oslo

A six-and-a-half meter-long installation named «The Best Weapon» has been placed in front of the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and will be unveiled on December 8th at 16:00 CET. The sculpture is designed by Snøhetta to encourage dialogue and peaceful conversation and is created in partnership with Hydro and Vestre. 

The installation, which also acts as a bench, is titled “The Best Weapon” after Nelson Mandela’s historic quote, “The best weapon is to sit down and talk”. It pays tribute to Nelson Mandela’s humane ideals of compromise, dialogue and compassion, as well as other Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their efforts to bring people together to find effective solutions for peace. 

Commissioned by the Nobel Peace Center, The Best Weapon was first installed outside the UN Headquarters in New York on Nelson Mandela Day in July 2019. It has now been transferred to its new and permanent location outside the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, where it will be unveiled Wednesday, December 8th at 4 PM, two days before the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. 
 
The event will take place outside the Nobel Peace Center and the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstuen, will unveil the sculpture. Norway’s former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and the Nobel Committee's newest and youngest member, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, will also be present.

Using gravity to pull people together
 
“Designed as a partial circle that meets the ground at its lowest point, the gentle arc of the bench pulls those sitting on it closer together, subsequently and subtly encouraging dialogue”, explains Marius Myking, Director of Product Design at Snøhetta. 
 
The installation is made from anodized aluminum from Hydro. The aluminum is the world’s greenest with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than the industry average. In addition to creating a beautiful surface, the anodized finish of the bench has high corrosion resistance and protection against scratching. It is produced by Vestre in a completely carbon-neutral process. Bead-blasted and pre-distressed, the sturdy material will ensure the bench’s longevity, promoting diplomacy and dialogue for many years to come.
 

The event on December 8 is part of the program for Oslo Peace Days and is open to the press. 

Information about the event:
Ingvill Bryn Rambøl, Head of Information at Nobel Peace Center
Telephone +47 924 52 944
E-mail ibr@nobelpeacecenter.org

Information about The Best Weapon: 
Line Aandal Røijen, ​​Content and Editorial Lead at Snøhetta
Telephone + 47 911 74 639
E-mail liner@snohetta.com

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Line Aandal Røijen

Content and Editorial Lead, Snøhetta

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About Snøhetta

For almost 40 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. 

Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta's different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.

Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios in seven locations spanning from Oslo to Paris, Innsbruck, New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Melbourne.

Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes, to name a few. 

Recently completed works include Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo, Beijing City Library, the renovation of Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Orionis - the planetarium and observatory of Douai, Airside in Hong Kong, Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, 550 Madison Garden and Revitalization in New York, as well as Volum lamps for Lodes.

Some of Snøhetta's previous projects include Ordrupgaard Art Museum expansion in Denmark, the Cornell University Executive Education Center and Hotel in New York City, Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, including the wayfinding and signage, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, Under, the redesign of the public space in Times Square, the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lascaux IV: The International Centre for Cave Art, Powerhouse Brattørkaia and design for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.

Among many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2016, Snøhetta was named Wall Street Journal Magazine's Architecture Innovator of the Year, and the practice has been named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company two years in a row. In 2020, Snøhetta was awarded the National Design Award for Architecture, bestowed by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021 and 2022, Snøhetta’s Forite tiles won the Sustainable Design of the Year by Dezeen and Best Domestic Design by Wallpaper* in 2022, and the wayfinding system for Le Monde Group Headquarters was acknowledged with Monocle Design Awards. In 2023, Snøhetta won a number of awards for the Esbjerg Maritime Center and was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards, in 2024 included a number of awards to Beijing Library and the BIA 2024 Award to Snøhetta and in 2025, Snøhetta was recognized with the OPAL Special Award for Sustainability, among others. 

Disclaimer: All materials provided by Snøhetta are intended exclusively for editorial use to communicate the specified project(s). The use of this material for commercial or third-party purposes is strictly prohibited. No material may be edited or altered from its original state in any manner. Credit must be given for all content used, acknowledging Snøhetta and/or the photographer or creator as the source. By using Snøhetta's press material, you agree to these terms and conditions.

 

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press@snohetta.com

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