Havnelageret
Encyclopedia
Havnelageret is a commercial building located at Langkaia 1 in Oslo
, Norway
. The house acts partly as a headquarters for Dagbladet
, but also houses Norwegian Defence Estates Agency
as tenants. The building has an outside surface of concrete
. When Havnelageret was completed in 1921, it was the largest concrete building in Europe
and the largest building in the Nordic countries.
The building was erected in the period 1916-20 and designed by architect Bredo Henrik Berntsen. The building had 11 floors, a tower and an area of 39 708 m² in its original form. The external dimensions were reduced by dividing up the facade with crane hunts, rises and towers. When it comes to style, the building can be placed into the group of Nordic Neo-Baroque with classical elements and details of Art Nouveau
feel. In 1965 the building was awarded the Betongtavlen prize (an annual Norwegian prize for outstanding building architecture in concrete). Oslo Havnelager (Oslo Harbour Warehouse) is a monument dedicated to the huge development of ship transport
during and after the First World War
. The construction of the building was challenging and extremely difficult with contemporary technology, and with rising prices and wages during the First World War, all calculations were surpassed. From the original amount of 3.2 million Norwegian kroner, the final cost ended up at 9.3 million kroner.
The construction of Havnelageret was very complicated because the building had to be built on bedrock as a result of its large size. This bedrock lay 20 meters below ground level. The difficult base conditions delayed the construction process, but in 1920, Havnelageret was finally based on the 130 pillars, which laid on 1550 piles in total. When finished, the building was so substantial that the 4th floor of Havnelageret was used as an air-raid shelter
during the Second World War
.
It took only 60 years before Havnelageret was considered old. In the recent decades the harbour activity has decreased steadily. As a result, there has also been less demand for storage space, and current needs are mostly met outside the quay area itself. After a total renovation in 1983 (carried out by the firm Arkitektene as), the "Jacob's dream" re-emerged; a pink-coloured office building filled by financiers, ship companies and oil companies. Because of its unusual color, the building is often called "The pink palace in Bjørvika
". In late 2003, Entra Eiendom
bought Langkaia 1 from Steen & Strøm ASA
. The company is in full swing with a total renovation of the building.
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The house acts partly as a headquarters for Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
, but also houses Norwegian Defence Estates Agency
Norwegian Defence Estates Agency
The Norwegian Defence Estates Agency is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the real estate belonging to the Military of Norway. It is not part of the military operations, but is instead directly subordinate the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, and established on January 1, 2002...
as tenants. The building has an outside surface of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. When Havnelageret was completed in 1921, it was the largest concrete building in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the largest building in the Nordic countries.
The building was erected in the period 1916-20 and designed by architect Bredo Henrik Berntsen. The building had 11 floors, a tower and an area of 39 708 m² in its original form. The external dimensions were reduced by dividing up the facade with crane hunts, rises and towers. When it comes to style, the building can be placed into the group of Nordic Neo-Baroque with classical elements and details of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
feel. In 1965 the building was awarded the Betongtavlen prize (an annual Norwegian prize for outstanding building architecture in concrete). Oslo Havnelager (Oslo Harbour Warehouse) is a monument dedicated to the huge development of ship transport
Ship transport
Ship transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
during and after the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The construction of the building was challenging and extremely difficult with contemporary technology, and with rising prices and wages during the First World War, all calculations were surpassed. From the original amount of 3.2 million Norwegian kroner, the final cost ended up at 9.3 million kroner.
The construction of Havnelageret was very complicated because the building had to be built on bedrock as a result of its large size. This bedrock lay 20 meters below ground level. The difficult base conditions delayed the construction process, but in 1920, Havnelageret was finally based on the 130 pillars, which laid on 1550 piles in total. When finished, the building was so substantial that the 4th floor of Havnelageret was used as an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
It took only 60 years before Havnelageret was considered old. In the recent decades the harbour activity has decreased steadily. As a result, there has also been less demand for storage space, and current needs are mostly met outside the quay area itself. After a total renovation in 1983 (carried out by the firm Arkitektene as), the "Jacob's dream" re-emerged; a pink-coloured office building filled by financiers, ship companies and oil companies. Because of its unusual color, the building is often called "The pink palace in Bjørvika
Bjørvika
Bjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akersness. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been undergoing urban redevelopment, being transformed from a container...
". In late 2003, Entra Eiendom
Entra Eiendom
Entra Eiendom AS is a Norwegian government enterprise owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry. The company manages 1,2 million m² of real estate, primarily in Norway's seven largest cities....
bought Langkaia 1 from Steen & Strøm ASA
Steen & Strøm
Steen & Strøm is a Scandinavian retail and real estate company that owns and operates 52 shopping centres in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. In 2006 the shopping centers had 3,300 lessees with total revenue of about NOK 40 billion.-History:...
. The company is in full swing with a total renovation of the building.
External links
- Information about Havnelageret on Entra Eiendom's website (in Norwegian)