Construction of the new Charlottenlund church in Trondheim started in September, replacing the old church from 1973, which will be demolished. The new building is designed by the Swedish architectural firm Ateljé Ö. The decision to demolish the old church stemmed from its generally poor building technical condition, according to Hege Elisabeth Nyhus, department head for building and property in Kfit.
She noted that the old church had a lot of mold and fungus that posed a major health risk, and renovation costs would have been very high. A feasibility study concluded the building could not be developed into a functional and future-oriented church, leading officials to determine that a new building was the best solution overall. The total budget for the new church has not been disclosed, nor have the specific health risks from the mold and fungus been detailed.
If it weren't for the cross, I wouldn't have understood that this was a church. It's a large, white, square object.
In addition to the church space, the new building will also function as a neighborhood house, according to Nyhus. The old Charlottenlund church was on a list of Norway's ugliest churches in 2020. According to NRK Norge, Vebjørn Selbekk, editor of the newspaper Dagen, described it as good that they get a new church because the old one is so ugly, and he noted that being on that list twice with the same congregation is quite an achievement.
According to NRK Norge, Frederik Nygård Stokvik, an active member of the organization Arkitekturopprøret, described the planned building as looking cheap and mass-produced, and he suggested they should have renovated the old church to become more beautiful. Separately, a bicycle path is being built in Trondheim at a higher price per meter than the new E6, according to multiple reports. The exact costs per meter for both projects have not been confirmed.
It's a shame that when they finally demolish it, they replace it with what they have planned.
The planned building looks cheap and mass-produced.
It's good they get a new church, because the old one is so ugly.
Well. Hmm. What should I say about this then? To put it this way, I am a diplomatic guy, but I understand if this creates engagement.
I don't think this was very beautiful, but I wish the congregation all the best.
If you manage to be on that list twice with the same congregation, that's quite an achievement.
Then I think they should have renovated the old church and reused it to a much greater extent, because it at least had a much better starting point to become a more beautiful church, if that was the intention.