Østfold University College

Institutions for higher education are situated in nearly 60 localities all over Norway. Decentralisation and regional development have fuelled the system of modern university colleges from the 1960s, leading to an abundance of commissions for Norwegian architects. Following different spatial models, the projects pursue contemporary architectural ideas and adapt to local situations in various ways, from solitary buildings and campus development to educational institutions within urban gentrification strategies. The multifaceted, complex and well functioning Østfold University College, was designed by Reiulf Ramstad Architects after winning an open competition in 1998.

Professor Christian Hermansen contextualises the structure within the history of modern campus architecture, and identifies two discourses at work simultaneously in Østfold: One drawing on the spatial structure of a Mediterranean town, the other “engaged with structuring the spatial, three-dimensional form of the buildings by allotting a hierarchical order and presence to the different spaces and volumes which constitute the campus”.