Location: Gjøvik, Norway.

Architect: Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.

The new university building for NTNU Gjøvik is designed to be an arena for knowledge and education, providing classrooms, open study spaces, a student café, a large mechanical workshop, and an administration unit. The building is designed as a simple rectangular body to integrate well into the symposium of building styles on the site. The building has been granted a highly sustainable certification in the category “Plus House” due to its sustainable choices, including the use of local materials and suppliers, and smart energy-enhancing solutions. The building is mainly made from wood and supported by a limited use of structural concrete. The plan solution and spatial hierarchy have their departure from current ideas of learning, valuing group work and interdisciplinarity. The open study spaces are placed towards the southern façade, making it an attractive study situation at all times of the day. The auditorium spans over two floors height and seats 225 persons. The workshop is a large open space facing north, and it also spans two floors height. The uppermost floor has been dedicated to office spaces. The building project was a direct continuation of the competition, and the design process had to be precise and always forward-looking. The building is a great example of sustainable architecture and a good co-operation between the different bodies meant that the great ambitions for the project were fulfilled.

Photo credit: Trond Isaksen, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.