Top 5 Norwegian Architectural Firms

For anyone who enjoys admiring unique buildings, Norway is a good destination these days. Although there are works from countless architects that deserve admiring, these are the top five Norwegian architectural firms you should know.

The architectural firm Jarmund Vigsnæs Arkitekter, or JVA for short, has been revolutionizing Norway since 1996. Their large catalog of urban and residential housing projects involves incredibly unique designs that are considered thought-provoking or interesting, rather than beautiful. Throughout the last two decades, JVA has designed some very popular buildings, such as The Dune House, the Gullesfjord Weight Control Station and the Rabot Tourist cabin.

Unlike the rest of the architects on this list, Biotope has chosen to follow a very specific style with their buildings. Their architecture catalog is almost entirely buildings that are designed for bird-watching. Perhaps one of their most famous examples is the Kongsfjord Wind Shelter & Bird Hide, which uses large windows and a dark color to blend nicely with its surroundings near the edge of the Barents Sea.

The way that the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta integrates nature into its designs is absolutely incredible. Their many commercial buildings can be found throughout the country and the rest of the world as well. Some of the most well-known examples include the Opera House in Oslo, which uses the Oslofjord water as a border surrounding the building, as well as the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion located at Hjerkinn, which uses a natural timber material to provide people with a way to learn about local reindeer.

Primarily focused on residential designs, the architecture firm Rever and Drage takes pride in making their buildings smaller in size but greater in beauty and intrigue. They love to include skylights in their building designs, which is evident based on some of their most famous works like the Pedveregen 8 and Feisteinveien.

Although this firm was originally founded by a Canadian, the company’s home base has been located in Norway for many years and a large portion of their works can be seen throughout the country. Saunders has ventured into many different types of architecture and enjoys using various contemporary materials in order to provide a unique texture and shape to every one of their buildings, such as the Stegastien Viewpoint in Aurland, a sight you can visit on our Norway in a Nutshell® tour.

Although there are many different talented architects throughout Norway, these are the five who are going above and beyond in their work and are the reason why so many people come to admire and draw inspiration from Norwegian architecture every year.