In the year 1947, the Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl went off to sea in a hand-built raft and sailed the almost 8,000 kilometers that separate the coasts of South America from the remote Polynesian islands. His mission was to demonstrate that ancient people could well have made voyages across the oceans. The rudimentary boat of this famous odyssey, Kon-Tiki, has since 1957 been on display, alongside other vessels and memorabilia of expeditions that Heyerdahl undertook, in an Oslo museum, and the architecture firm Snøhetta will soon be renovating this building and adding a tilted wood-clad volume to house an auditorium with large windows looking upward. It will be completely sustainable, in keeping with the audacious naturalist’s philosophy of life.

The new museum is expected to open in 2025.