On December 5, NSW Architecture and the National Conference for Wood Architecture hosted an afternoon seminar at the premises of NSW Architecture in Oslo. The theme for the evening was the Terminal Building at Gardermoen, which was opened in 1998.
The terminal building is described as one of the most iconic buildings in modern Norwegian architectural history. After 25 years, it is possible to lift the veil a little. The questions at the seminar were: Why was the terminal’s roof structure built in wood and not steel? What impact has this building had on Norwegian architecture and Norwegian industry?
From Hurum to Gardermoen
NSW Arkitektur was involved in designing the new airport terminal, which shows innovative use of Norwegian materials. At the seminar, the partner and founder of NSW Arkitektur talked about the process of developing one of Norway’s largest land-based development projects. The terminal building was to be characterized by Norwegian and Nordic calm, and by “silent monumentality”.
The architectural team that won the competition consisted of Niels Torp Arkitekter, Skaarup og Jespersen Arkitekter and Narud Stokke Wiig Arkitektur (NSW). They won with a clear concept:
– Norwegian natural stone on the floor of the arrivals hall, reminiscent of the Norwegian bedrock.
– Wood in departure areas, inspired by the surrounding forests.
– Steel in the roof structure, to give a light and striving expression, with light canvas above that lifted towards the sky.
The three architectural offices behind the winning design were organized through Aviaplan AS to continue work on the new terminal building.
From steel to wood
Ole Wiig, the founder of Narud Stokke Wiig Arkitektur (NSW), was president of the Norwegian Association of Architects in the early 1990s. He was a key supplier of premises for the first stage of construction of the terminal building at Gardermoen.
– When the terminal was moved from Hurum to Gardermoen, the architectural team Aviaplan AS continued with the concept we had developed. However, the Storting decided that the roof structures should be built in wood, so there was a change,” Wiig explained. He pointed out that it was a unanimous transport committee in the Storting that decided that the roof structures should be built in wood, with Sissel Rønbeck as rapporteur.
– We experienced a political commitment to strengthen the use of Norwegian materials and to increase the use of wood in the terminal building. The then Minister of Culture, Åse Kleveland, our first and only “Minister of Architecture”, was strongly committed to this. Minister of Transport Kjell Opseth was also a driving force. The rest of the government got behind it, and the final result was both Fauskemarmor and Otta slate in the floors, and wood in the roof structures, on the floors and in a number of other places,” says Wiig.
Innovation boost with the Viking Ship
Moelven Limtre was chosen to supply the wooden structures at Gardermoen. At the seminar, Åge Holmestad gave a historical review of the innovation work that had taken place at Moelven Limtre and which enabled the company to supply solutions for the terminal building at Gardermoen.
Åge Holmestad is a former technical manager and general manager at Moelven Limtre, and played a key role in Moelven Limtre’s innovation work to build the Viking Ship in Hamar for the 1994 Olympics. Glulam arches with spans of as much as 96 m were made there.
– It was the Viking Ship that was the real breakthrough for Moelven’s advanced glulam solutions. A lot of innovation took place during that process, and we improved as a company. After the Viking Ship, we went from innovation to development in many ways,” said Holmestad.
– In this sense, Moelven’s assignment at Gardermoen was technically relatively straightforward, because we could build on our expertise from the Olympic facilities. The major new challenges were related to design, layout and surfaces. The terminal building is an example of how architects are our best friends. After all, architects are much quicker to take on new things than engineers. Together with the architects, we also found solutions for design, layout and surfaces, so it was an exciting building to work on,” says Holmestad.
He explained that after the terminal building at Gardermoen, Moelven Limtre saw increased demand for long-span wooden bridges. As the company could also supply sports halls with long spans, demand also increased.
– This opened up completely new markets for us, thanks to the expertise we gained from building the Viking Ship and then delivering the wooden structures with a new design for the terminal building at Gardermoen,” said Holmestad.
The expertise gained from the Viking Ship and wooden bridges meant that Moelven Limtre was able to deliver solutions to Treet in Bergen and then Mjøstårnet, the world’s tallest wooden building…
Emphasis on quality
When the terminal building at Gardemoen opened in the fall of 1998, it was clear that it had become a beautiful building with great use of wood and Norwegian natural stone in large parts of the terminal building.
– We were keen to create a simple visual expression. Passengers should be put at ease when they enter the building. The emphasis throughout was on quality and robustness. This meant that we had to use good materials that could withstand high wear and tear. We also needed a concept that meant people in the building would have as few changes of direction as possible,” says Lise Rystad of NSW Arkitektur, who worked on the wooden beams and the use of wood in the terminal building at Gardermoen.
– In 1998, the terminal building was built as an airport, so this was well taken care of. “The new phase of construction is more in keeping with the fact that it is both an airport and a shopping center,” said Rystad.
The national conference for wood architecture
The Norwegian Wood Cluster is one of the partners of the National Conference on Wood Architecture, which held its first conference ten years ago. The next full-day conference will be held in Oslo on April 4, 2024.
Read more about Trearkitektur here: https://www.trearkitektur.no/
Watch the video: VIDEO: Iconic Norwegian wooden architecture: Oslo Airport (youtube.com)