Architecture & Design

The postmodernist movement of the 1980s never achieved the momentum that functionalism did in the 1930s. Many architects saw postmodernism as a betrayal of modernism, and in Norway it led to relatively few significant architectural works. Read more

For several hundred years, Norway was governed from Denmark, resulting in limited expansion of an economic upper class. Norway’s distinctive architectural history reflects historical developments in this sparsely populated country on the northern edge of Europe. Somewhat over 1,000 years ago Norway’s petty kingdoms were assembled into a single realm, which shortly thereafter was converted to... Read more

In the past few years, Norwegian design has re-emerged as a rising star. Not since the 1950s and 60, the height of the era of Scandinavian Design, has Norwegian design enjoyed such great popularity. Read more

In the 1990s Norwegian architects returned to modernism’s roots. Private homes and office buildings alike were given large, smooth facades and clear geometrical volumes reminiscent of the functionalism of the 1930s. The most widely recognized example is the prize-winning headquarters of the Norwegian Metrology and Accreditation Service in Kjeller (1997), designed by Kristin Jarmund. Contemporar... Read more

The ancient library of Alexandria contained the greatest collection of writings in antiquity. When it was destroyed in the 5th century A.D., a vast trove of ancient wisdom was lost forever. Read more

Sverre Fehn (1924-2009) received his architectural education shortly after WWII and quickly became the leading Norwegian architect of his generation. He is also Norway’s most widely acclaimed architect abroad. Read more

Between 1100 and 1300 some 1,000 wooden stave churches were built in Norway. Today fewer than 30 remain. While archaeologists have found proof that stave churches were built all over northern Europe, they have only been preserved in southern Norway. Read more

A number of distinguished Norwegian architects emerged after WWII and dominated Norway’s architecture for the rest of the century. While most of these have now retired or passed away, a new generation of talented young architects has emerged and is gaining recognition both at home and abroad. Read more