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AHO WORKS STUDIES 2012-2013
Architectural Studies
Blasted Building
The only part of the building that is relatively
intact, still furnished and heated, is the two
set-back non-original top floors from 1990 de-
signed by Per Viksjø, the son of Erling Viks-
jø. While the architect wanted to connect old
and new in a seamless structure, the bomb tore
them apart: the top portion, now resembling a
freestanding, modernist pavilion, seems criti-
cally disconnected from the lower floors. The
bomb has split the building in two, evoking a
debate on what is worth preserving.
The destruction of the glass wall of the
ground floor lobby re-establishes the original
open public passage under the building, in ac-
cordance with the prevailing ideals of an inclu-
sive democracy. Since the bomb also destroyed
the interior walls of the lobby-spaces, the prin-
ciple of the open ground floor plan is pushed
even further, suggesting a scenario where any-
one can walk unhindered in under the building,
push the elevator button and be transported
directly up to the Prime Minister´s office.
The empty upper floor plans leave few traces
of how the spaces have been divided. It evokes
the original layout of the architect, which in-
cluded movable wall-elements mounted on top
of linoleumfloors, correlating to the repetitive
window pattern and the positions of the col-
umns. What we see today is a game board for
a flexible architecture, not yet set in play. The
building is a diagram of itself.
The flexible wall elements were probably all
abandoned in the 1990 renovation, and the new
fixed walls inserted were being placed in an in-
consistent relationship to the columns, partly
hitting them and partly sliding on either side of
them, obscuring the structural principle of the
building
2
. The purging that has taken place has
cleared ground for Viksjø´s original blueprint.
All flooring, including the original lino-
leum from 1958 as well as the new surfaces
from 1990, has been removed, exposing the
raw concrete slab stained with glue and spills
of uncertain origin. A condition of symme-
try thus prevails between the concrete floor
and the concrete ceiling. Taking into account
the straight, non-articulated columns and
the floor-to-ceiling window-openings, the
space can be imagined flipped upside-down
still maintaining its original appearance, the
only significant difference being the concrete
beams turning into thresholds, a condition that
could signify a “technical floor”, common in
contemporary office buildings. The “flipping”
properties of the building makes it less con-
textual than the architect could possibly have
planned, being suspended in air, disconnected
from ground.
The absence of technical infrastructure, like
air-ducts, radiators, electrical wires, lighting
fixtures, alarms, sprinklers and water pipes,
makes the building appear archaic. This “pure”
condition, so cherished by architects of the 20th
century, can be described as the ideal state of
any modern building. According to this logic,
any implementation of infrastructure will dis-
