Discipline
Project group management, architect, interior designer, responsible SØK
The new building integrates seamlessly into the university complex, with a main entrance facing a bright courtyard between the original wings. Adapted to the steep terrain, it connects directly to all levels of the existing structures.
The extension is organized into a teaching wing and a laboratory wing, echoing the layout of the original facility. The teaching wing contains group rooms, seminar spaces, reading rooms, and microscopy labs. The laboratory wing accommodates faculty administration, offices for students and researchers, and specialized research laboratories, including a Forensic Genetics Center with pressurized rooms. A Biobank has been established in collaboration with the University Hospital of Tromsø. Adjacent to the lobby areas are auditoriums, study and breakout zones, cloakrooms, a coffee bar, and a service hub linking to the existing courtyard. A key premise has been that new and existing buildings function as one unified facility.
Facing Universitetsvegen, the new building forms a clear visual motif with its northern entrance and an expanded plaza. A large art installation by Beret Aksnes and Vegar Moen defines the façade.
Sheltered outdoor spaces have been prioritized, especially those oriented southwest. The “Student Garden” on level 7 is protected from wind while receiving ample sunlight. A terrace on level 8 adjoins the new café, and a new walkway connects the garden to Universitetsvegen.
Like the existing buildings, the new façade uses brick as its primary material, reinforcing ties to the campus palette. Although sharing material kinship, the new volume retains its own identity. Wood cladding on the lower street-facing and garden-facing sections helps break down the overall massing.
Recessed windows in the brick façades emphasize solidity, while forward-set windows in the wooden façades create a lighter expression. The disciplined window rhythm in the brick contrasts with the freer arrangement in the timber sections. A unified red-and-black color scheme is established through red brick, mortar, and fittings, paired with dark timber.
Inside, the material palette echoes the exterior. Natural, durable materials dominate, with accent colors used for orientation. Birch plywood, color-through MDF, polished concrete with local aggregate, and exposed concrete surfaces define the character. The combination of raw textures and precise detailing gives the building a distinct material richness.
As an educational institution, the building is orderly and rational, yet it embraces a certain rawness—creating a thoughtful balance between the refined and the rugged in students’ everyday environment.
