Våler Church in Våler, Norway burned down on the night of 29 May 2009. Built in 1805, the church had been restored several times. Designed in the cruciform style, it featured a white exterior, a tall bell tower, a porch, a nave with pews on either side, an altar at the rear and a pulpit on the wall. The fire was deliberately started. No one has yet been held responsible. Before the fire site had even been cleared, discussions began about where to build the new church and what it should look like. Soon, two views emerged: one group, including the joint council and church employees, wanted a new church to be built on a different site. Another group organised itself as the 'Parish Group for a New Church on the Old Site'. This sparked a bitter dispute that hurt many people in Våler.
In order to receive the insurance money, the new church had to be built within five years of the fire. However, due to the dispute and subsequent delays, Våler was granted a one-year extension.
An architectural competition was announced in autumn 2011, with 239 architects from 23 countries participating. Only the new opera house in Oslo has attracted a similarly high level of participation in an architectural competition. That competition received 240 entries. Then Minister of Culture Rigmor Aasrud intervened, making it clear in a letter dated 14 December 2011 that the ministry would not permit construction of the new church on the old site. Nevertheless, the church dispute continued in Våler.
The winner of the architectural competition was announced on 12 March 2012. The jury unanimously selected civil architect Espen Surnevik's proposal, 'One of Two of Three'. Despite the ongoing controversy, on 5 November 2012, a majority of the municipal council voted to allocate NOK 22 million for a new church to be built on a different site. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Architects' Association has stated that it will demand millions in compensation from the municipality if the winning design is not realised. The result of an architectural competition is legally binding. Martin M. Bakken was awarded the contract for the new church in Våler. Construction began on 19 November 2013. The foundation stone was laid on 14 March 2014 by confirmands Silje Kjeverud and Christian Tøraasen. Whit Sunday, 24 May 2015. The church was consecrated amid great festivities.
The new Våler Church was built almost exactly six years after the fire. It cost NOK 62 million to build, with NOK 37 million coming from insurance payouts and the remaining NOK 22 million + 5 million coming from the municipality. The church is made of steel and clad in untreated pine, with birch veneer panelling inside. It has a floor area of 800 square metres and can seat 350 people. A total of 8,000 hours of carpentry work went into the construction of the church. A new 31-pipe organ has been built by Richard Rensch Orgelbau in Germany. Installation in Våler will begin this summer, with the inauguration taking place in November. The organ cost NOK 4.6 million.
The theme is embodied in the new church through the way daylight enters the building. This light fills the rooms with optimism and a sense of the sacred. It spreads over the congregation, symbolising the dispelling of darkness. Windows in the walls and ceiling let in plenty of light thanks to Pilkington Optiwhite™ extra clear low-iron glass. The tower's roof consists of a 14 m² glass panel.
Pilkington Optimirror™ mirrors are mounted on the walls.
Coloured glass is used in the frames at the top, bottom and sides.
The Resurrection frieze encircles the choir like a halo. It is conceived and designed in an abstract manner. The windows are sculptures. The glass wall is the church's main source of light, and mirrors and purple fired-enamelled glass have also been used.
Most of the light enters the centre of the wall, and the windows become narrower the further out into the halo you go. The halo symbolises the resurrection and the power surrounding Christ. We collaborated with the artist Espen Dietrichson on the interior glasswork.
Photography: Vegard Kleven