Snøhetta shines a light on the need for shelter
For the second year in a row, Snøhetta has collaborated with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to design a unique gingerbread house – building on the old Norwegian tradition of creating and decorating gingerbread houses for Christmas. This year’s edition is an untraditional house consisting of five repeated, hollow frames, together creating a void symbolizing a home that is no more. The design template can be purchased as part of NRC’s Christmas campaign “Give a Home for Christmas”, where all sales and donations go to their work in helping people in need to find shelter.
Video by: Shestakovych Studio
"With more than 120 million refugees worldwide, shelter is one of the most important assets we can provide to help those in need. Lives depend on rooms protecting against heat, cold, rain and wind. Our gingerbread non-house will hopefully encourage people to support NRC to fill in the missing walls and roofs,” says Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.
Last year, the sale of the gingerbread houses generated over 900,000 NOK in revenue to NRC. Additionally, several businesses made significant donations linked to the campaign.
Helps millions of people yearly
A place to live is a basic human need and essential for safety, health, work, education and family life. However, each year millions of innocent people are forced to flee and left without a safe haven. Yearly, NRC helps almost 10 million people across 40 countries, including some of the most acute crises, in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan.
This effort includes building new and repairing broken homes, providing support for building materials, supporting host families, or building and refurbishing public buildings or refugee camps so that they can house displaced families. NRC also provide legal assistance, so that those who return home can get their houses back.
“This Christmas, like many before, families are without a home after being hit by wars. The gingerbread house illustrates the home that is lost and it is both touching and beautiful. This house will be part of many Norwegian homes this Christmas. It is a house that spurs commitment, and it is a house for reflection. We need to do more, and we need to do it together," says Torstein Bae, spokesperson of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
More than a structure
“This gingerbread house is more than just a structure – it's a symbol of something that no longer exists. The design builds on the narrative of absence and represents lost homes. Through its simplicity and fragility, it communicates an important message that what we all want is a world where we can live and flourish together without the shadow of conflict hanging over us," says product designer Clemens Rath, one of the Snøhetta team members who has developed this year's house.
NRC is optimistic that the funds raised through this year’s "Give a home for Christmas” campaign will succeed last year’s results. Furthermore, the goal is that the gingerbread house also helps raise awareness and engagement for people fleeing conflict, thereby increasing both donations and generosity for the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Christmas campaign and important work at large.
"At Snøhetta, we have a fundamental belief that architecture and design are powerful tools that can make a positive contribution to the future. We are therefore grateful to have the opportunity to use design as a tool to support NRC's important work. Our hope is that this small but unique gingerbread house inspires reflection on what a home really means – especially for those who have been displaced," says Marius Myking, Director of Product Design at Snøhetta.
Where to get it
The template for the gingerbread house can be purchased either as part of a full baking set with dough, baking glue and garnish at grocery delivery service Oda, or by itself at flyktninghjelpen.no, in digital or physical version.
You can also purchase the template outside of Norway via the international link. On the international site, you are encouraged to donate, while the template is available for free download. Whatever you choose, all sales and donations will go entirely towards the Christmas campaign, helping to shelter some of the millions of people fleeing war and conflict right now.
Click here to downolad high-res visuals.
Photo by: Shestakovych Studio
Photo by: Shestakovych Studio
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
Photo by: NRC/Beate Simarud
About Norwegian Refugee Council:
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. We protect displaced people and support them as they build a new future.
You can read more about NRC and their work at: https://www.nrc.no/