Helen & Hard

Architects Helen & Hard received international acclaim for their design of the spectacular and ecofriendly Norwegian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. For the last fifteen years, Siv Helene Stangeland (*1966) and Reinhard Kropf (*1967) have worked on a wide range of topics-they tapped into the resources of the oil industry to use its software, structures, and material technology; analyzed the theory of planning processes; and redesigned industrially prefabricated solid wood elements to create new structural design possibilities. Their works range from recycling projects such as the Geopark, contributions to art exhibitions such as Manifesta 7, to the sophisticated timber architecture of the Pulpit Rock Mountain Lodge. This book highlights their philosophy of Relational Design, which combines a wide spectrum of human, environmental, material, and processual factors.