Twentieth Century Oslo Tour - SOLD OUT
Twentieth Century, Oslo Tour
Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 August 2022
Start time/place: 25 August 2022 6pm: Quality Hotel 33, Oslo.
Finish time/place: 28 August 2022 4pm: Central Oslo
The tour will provide a unique opportunity for members to enjoy the 20th century architecture of the Norwegian capital, Oslo. It will be led by Tom Davies, Catherine Croft and Thaddeus Zupancic.
It will include buildings which epitomise the warmth and materiality of early and interwar Norwegian Modernism, from its roots in 19th century National Romanticism- most notably Oslo City Hall by Arnstein Arneberg & Magnus Poulsson, socially engaged architecture and Norway’s fledgling welfare-state- Ove Bang’s Samfunnshuset, and many buildings resulting from the progressive and naturalist character of the teachings and professional work of Arne Korsmo and Knut Knutsen.
Starting on Thursday evening with a short walking tour, followed by introductory drinks and a lecture on C20th Norwegian architecture, we will explore central Oslo, the villas of West Oslo and housing projects of East Oslo. The tour will provide insights covering architectural form and thought and the development of 20th Century Norwegian society. Highlights include the well-known - Kormso’s Villa Stenersen, Gustav Vigeland’s Sculptures at Frogner Park as well as the less-known and up-and-coming – Emmanuel Vigeland’s haunting Mausoleum, and Norway’s first terraced housing project Øvre Ullern Terrace by Selvaag with architects Anne Tinne and Mogens Friis.
The tour will illuminate post-war debate between New Empiricism, humanist architecture and ‘Norwegian Brutalism’, through the work of Norway’s answer to MARS., the Progressive Architects Group Oslo Norway (PAGON) – Sverre Fehn, Håkon Mjelva, PAM Melbye, Geir Grung. Some post-war highlights will include John Engh’s Ind-Eks- House, Lund & Slaatto’s St Hallvard Abbey, Eero Saarinen’s American Embassy and Niels Torp Architects’ Aker Brygge. In recent years there has been a huge amount of high quality development including the new Opera House by Snøhetta (2003-8), The Astrup Fearnley Museum by Renzo Piano,(2012), new library by Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem, and most recently the Edvard Munch museum by Spanish architect Estudio Herreros (2021), which makes extensive use of recycled materials.
Our tour will be led by Oslo resident Tom Davies (The Oslo School of Architecture and Design) and colleagues, with our Director Catherine Croft and C20 Instagrammer Thaddeus Zupancic. Although Norway has a reputation for being very expensive, we aim to enable you to enjoy yourselves at relatively modest cost. We will have an energetic and packed agenda visiting both the city centre and some of the suburbs rarely reached by tourists. We will travel by public transport, taking in many of the excellent underground stations by Håkon Mjelva and others, and several tram rides.
Cost includes travel pass and museum entrance fees, introductory talk and drink on the first evening and dinner on the Saturday evening. Flights and Accommodation NOT included.
Recommended flights: from London NORWEGIAN AIR:
Outward 9:20 AM Gatwick Airport (LGW) arrives 12:25 PM Oslo Airport (OSL)
Return Sun, Aug 28 6:45PM Oslo Airport (OSL) 8:05 PM Gatwick Airport (LGW)
(there are plenty of options for outbound flights on the Thursday, but the Norwegian flight is the only direct flight from Oslo to London on the Sunday evening—the alternative would be to return on Monday 29th)
It is also possible to travel to Oslo by train, but an overnight stop is necessary – see www.seat61.com for options.
Recommended Accommodation: We suggest staying at the Quality Hotel 33, https://www.nordicchoicehotels.com/hotels/norway/oslo/quality-hotel-33/, which is a building designed by Erling Viksjø. (1910-1971), best known for the Bakkehaugen Church, which we will visit, and for his innovative treatment of concrete. Originally the administration building of Standard Telephones and Cables, it was converted to a hotel by Mellbye Arkitektur, in 2008. It is 11 minutes from central Oslo on the metro, and has great views of Oslo and the Oslo Fjord. from the Top Floor Restaurant & Bar.
(We hope to be able to offer tour participants a discount code for the Quality Hotel 33-- but the details have not yet been finalised. We suggest that if you wish to secure your place immediately (our events usual sell out fast) you make a refundable booking at the Hotel and we will email you directly as soon as we have confirmation of the discount code.)
Alternative hotels to consider are as follows
https://www.scandichotels.com/hotels/norway/oslo/scandic-karl-johan (from £80/night)
https://anker-hotel.no/en/a-modern-hotel-in-the-heart-of-oslo/ (from £100/night)
https://www.thonhotels.com/our-hotels/norway/oslo/thon-hotel-terminus/ (from £140/night)
https://www.nordicchoicehotels.no/hotell/norge/oslo/clarion-collection-hotel-folketeateret/ (from £140/night)
https://www.nordicchoicehotels.com/hotels/norway/oslo/clarion-hotel-the-hub/ (from £170/night)
Members of C20 Society: £330. Non-Members: £350. (Flights and Accommodation not included in the price)
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The Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider
Above: Oslo City Hall, Nanisimova / Shuuterstock.
C20 EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY: If you need to cancel your place on a C20 event more than two days in advance please email coordinator@c20society.org.uk. International events, lectures, walks or day trips: No refunds will be given for events costing £20 or less. In all other instances, where cancellations are made more than a month before an event, fees will be returned, subject to a deduction of £12 per ticket to cover administrative costs. C20 Society are not liable for any other costs including travel and accommodation, therefore we strongly recommend you take out travel insurance.