When completed in 2014, St. Olav’s Hospital was unique among university hospitals. It is the only university hospital organized in a clear urban block structure adapted to the surrounding cityscape. The centres are connected by an underground culvert system and by bridges on the first floor, which house treatment areas, and on the second floor, which contain research facilities. This structure makes it possible to link extensive shared areas across the different centres.
The Movement Centre follows the principles of a general centre: outpatient clinics, lobby, cafeteria, blood sampling, public circulation areas, and a therapy pool on the ground floor. The first floor contains operating theatres with bridge connections to the Women and Children’s Centre, the Emergency, Cardiac and Pulmonary Centre, and the historic 1902 Building. The second floor accommodates NTNU facilities, while inpatient wards occupy the third and fourth floors.
The centre consists of two six‑storey wings and one three‑storey wing. Together with the 1902 Building, it forms a generous courtyard. The lobby, circulation areas, and therapy pool on the ground floor open directly onto this inner courtyard, which is an integral part of the centre’s therapeutic environment. The courtyard is intended to serve as an attractive recreational space for both patients and staff.
The Movement Centre features a combination of brick and timber facades that blend with the surrounding architecture. Brick is used predominantly along the street-facing elevations, while timber defines the building’s inner garden frontage. A series of green terraces provide accessible outdoor spaces for patients, relatives, and staff.
The use of natural materials, colour, and artistic installations is conceived as a holistic strategy to support orientation and create bright, welcoming spaces for all users of the centre.
