Trondheim, 2025
Public and cultural buildings
Libraries, schools and community buildings that stay open, warm and easy to use for decades.
Public buildings are used hard, by many people, for a long time. We design them to be robust and generous: wide stairs that double as seating, daylight in every room people spend time in, and materials that can be cleaned, repaired and replaced without special contractors.
Most of our public work is in timber. Cross-laminated timber and glulam let us build quickly and with a much lower carbon footprint than concrete, and the warm surfaces make a real difference in a library or a classroom in the middle of winter.
We work closely with the client organisation through the whole process. The best decisions in our projects have often come from a caretaker, a librarian or a teacher who knows exactly how a building is used at eight in the morning.
Recent projects
How a project runs
Listen
A day on site, a written brief and an honest first estimate of cost and time.
Sketch
Options in physical and 3D models until the plan and the volume feel right.
Detail
Permit drawings, construction details and tender documents for contractors.
Build
Regular site visits and quick answers so the building matches the drawings.
Questions we often get
Do you take part in architectural competitions?
Yes, two or three a year. We choose competitions where the brief matches what we are good at, which is mid-sized public buildings in timber.
Can you lead the full design team?
We regularly act as lead consultant, coordinating structural, mechanical, electrical, acoustic and landscape consultants under one contract.
How do you involve the people who will use the building?
Through short, practical workshops at each design stage. Staff test furniture layouts on full-size floor plans, and we bring models to public meetings rather than slideshows.
Thinking about public and cultural buildings?
Tell us about the site and what you need. We reply within two working days.
Start a project