Rugged and frigid, the Norwegian coast inspires compelling architecture that provides more visual interest than that of the average seaside home. The post-glacial geographic crevices known as fjords offer these properties a secluded mystique that appeals to both the urbane Oslo weekender and one’s inner Norse god.

And to us! Drawing on vernacular woods and the clean geometry that characterizes Scandinavian design, these homes let the landscape’s perilous heights take prominence. The fjords’ combination of dense pine forests, glacial peaks and inherent isolation take the getaway cabin from trite to transcendent. Read on for our picks of the best of fjord-side living that you simply can’t a-fjord to miss!

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This project won the 2013 Architizer A+ Jury Award in the sports category. See the full list of winners here.

Talk about jump-starting a famous locale! The iconic Holmenkollen hill, located about 20 minutes outside of Oslo, is among the world’s most-visited sports facilities. It was here that, more than a century ago, a Norwegian lieutenant propelled himself 9.5 meters into the air and the worldwide sport of ski jumping was born. Since then the village of Holmenkollen has been home to the annual Holmenkollen Ski Festival, and in 1952 it even hosted the Winter Olympics.

So it’s important that the town maintain, well, the most badass ski jump tower in the world. (Indeed, the hill’s jump has been rebuilt 19 times and renovated 15 times since its birth.) So in preparation for the 2011 World Championships, the Oslo municipality commissioned JDS Architects to design the New Holmenkollen Ski Jump. The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage approved the new tower so long as the new structure had a similar architectural quality and remained a city landmark. Read more.

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There are a few things I think about when looking at CEBRA’s design for the New Church of Valer in Norway. One is so obvious that it doesn’t warrant discussion; another does. Yes, the designers clearly have a particular affinity for the music and imagery of the irreverent French DJ duo Justice. The group has taken to plastering religious symbolism on both of their albums — their first uses a flattened orthographic drawing of a particularly chunky crucifix, while their sophomore effort depicts the same form in heavy gray concrete, half sunk in the rain-drenched ground. Look at that, now look at the CEBRA design.

They’re both monolithic statements, though the architectural application is, of course, more fitting and even funny (if unimaginatively meta). According to the architects, the design is to be realized in wood and stone that reflects Norway’s building heritage. The inclined structure also features a stepped facade, a real “stairway to heaven.” Have a look at more of the design over at designboom.

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This project won the 2013 Architizer A+ Jury and Popular Choice Awards in BOTH the Government & Municipal Buildings AND Parks categories. See the full list of winners here.

Rising above misty Norwegian fjords, the Trollstigen National Tourist Route provides unprecedented access to a sublime Scandinavian landscape. The bold forms and robust materiality employed by Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Architects evoke rugged modernism with a cinematic flair. This exquisite project astounded our esteemed jurors and avid fans alike, sweeping both the Jury and Popular Choice Awards in two different categories to become the most highly decorated Architizer A+ winner! A masterwork of composition and material, the project’s true beauty lies in its restraint and technical execution, perched atop the world. Read more.

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Project:  Brinken Terrace

Architect:  70°N Arkitektur

Location:  Tromsø, Norway

Crowning the ridge of Tromsø Island, the Brinken Terrace apartments bend exuberantly across the Arctic horizon. Design atelier 70°N Arkitektur designed the 48 unique flats in collaboration with the unit’s owners, resulting in a puzzle-piece facade composition of glass and warm pine cladding. Each apartment has a private exterior space—from compact balconies for the lower levels to expansive terraces on the roof.

Read more about this project in the Architizer database!

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Imagine your favorite buildings in the world. Now imagine these buildings in total darkness. Not as exciting, right? Architecture without light is like your tastiest breakfast cereal without milk: it just doesn’t work. Light has the unique ability to bring buildings to life. Cold raw concrete becomes warm and lustrous during a summer sunset, while artificial light preserves the monumentality of the world’s tallest buildings when the sun goes down.

The five finalists for the Architizer A+ “Light” award treat light as a physical and integral component of the design. Click through to see them all!

And remember to vote for your favorite project!

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Voting for the Public Choice Winners is going strong, so keep checking back for spotlights on the best projects in each category! Today’s finalist showcase covers Civic architecture. With projects ranging from town halls to crematoria, civic architecture is a dynamic and essential pillar of architecture world-wide. Despite a global economic slowdown that has seen devastating austerity measures imposed across the globe, these projects testify to the social need for well-designed, innovative buildings, no matter the economic climate. In the realm of architecture, civic works are projects we can all enjoy. Click through to see them all!

Like what you see? Make sure to vote for it over at the A+ Public Voting site!

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Project: Cathedral of the Northern Lights

Architect: schmidt/hammer/lassen Architects

Location: Alta, Norway

When the competition for a new cathedral in the Norwegian town of Alta was announced, the city council did not want just a new church; they also wanted an architectural landmark that would reaffirm the town’s role as a premier viewing place for the natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights. The spiraling shape of the recently opened cathedral suggests the undulation of the lights, while the titanium-clad façade reflects their dazzling glow during the long winter months north of the Arctic Circle. The cathedral can accomodate 350 people in the church room and also has administrative offices, classrooms, exhibition areas, and a parochial area. Read more about this project in the Architizer database.

Photos: Adam Mørk

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GIF via Peter Levins

Dazzled by thousands of suspended lights? Yeah, we are too! Designed by Squidsoup, Submergence Lights is a mesmerizing installation on display at Gallery ROM for Art and Architecture in Oslo, Norway. The project consists of of 8,064 hanging LEDs that form a suspended light field that blinks, twinkles, and flashes according to pitter-patter of wandering gallery goers. Equipped with motion sensors, the immersive exhibit responds to the movements of visitors as they walk through the installation, unwittingly signalling waves and constellations of light in real time. Submergence is on display until February 13, 2013. Click through to see more images from the installation.

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You pray for snow, and you get slush. This week’s freezing temperatures have left New Yorkers without the charms and (brief) relief that come with snow, and only with the danger of black ice, the heartache of flurries, and the annoyance of slush. It’s this time of year that we find ourselves daydreaming about ditching our unflattering parkas and fleeing down South. (This is the same dream where Florida is the promised land, employment consists solely of poolside lounging, and we all tan well.)

True, winter can be enjoyable, but at a remove. That’s why we combed our database to find the best of architecture + winter, so that you won’t have to brave through freezing winds and ice-slicked sidewalks to experience snow-capped cabins, ice huts, and ski jumps. Sit back, take a sip of hot coffee, and enjoy all that winter has to offer. Click through for our slideshow.

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