NSW Arkitektur: Architecture at every scale

By Celina Tran

Since its founding in 1979, NSW Arkitektur has grown from a small Oslo practice into a multidisciplinary architectural studio working across Norway and beyond.

Originally established as Narud Stokke Wiig sivilarkitekter MNAL by Jørn Narud, Gudmund Stokke and Ole Wiig, the practice adopted the name NSW Arkitektur in 2018. Today, its work spans architecture, planning, urban design, interiors and transformation, with offices in Oslo and Hamar. “We’re an office that works at all scales,” says Live Serck-Hansen, architect and head of sustainability at NSW. “Every project is unique and needs its own approach.”

That breadth has long been part of NSW’s identity. The practice’s early work in Oslo’s urban renewal helped establish the office, while later commissions have ranged from schools and housing to major public buildings and airports. Today, NSW describes its approach as combining conceptual thinking with innovation, pragmatic human focus and a sensitivity to context.

Værøy Skole. Photo: Einar Aslaksen

Designing for people, place and permanence

For NSW, architectural quality is not simply a question of appearance. Architect and managing director Thomas Berge-Andersen describes the practice’s foundation as a form of timeless modernism combining aesthetics and functionality. Serck-Hansen emphasises that the philosophy results in durable buildings designed with flexibility and robust materials, with the goal that architectural quality will enhance the everyday life of its users.

Vestlandshuset. Photo: HUS Arkitekter

That philosophy is particularly evident in the practice’s airport work. NSW’s relationship with aviation began with Oslo Airport at Gardermoen, where the office was involved from the early stages and later worked on Terminal 2. The team continues to work with Avinor across Norway in a variety of projects. “We focus on clarity of design: all buildings have to be easy to understand and contribute to making the journey comfortable for the passengers,” says Berge-Andersen. “Even the small projects have a complexity that we need to solve.”

That concern for movement and accessibility is also at the heart of Glassheisen in Arendal. The twin lifts cut through the rock between the Market Place and the new extension of the city located on top of Fløyheia, linking pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users while creating a stunning public viewpoint. The project has become an attraction in its own right and won Norsk Stålkonstruksjonspris in 2023.

NSW Arkitektur was tasked by Avinor to draw the new Sola Airport. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen

Transformation, continuity and the life of a building

If Glassheisen demonstrates NSW’s ability to turn infrastructure into civic architecture, its work at Værøy School demonstrates an equally important instinct: knowing what not to replace. “On Værøy in Lofoten, we restored a 1960s school by Tobias Ritzau, which had faced the prospect of demolition. Rather than starting again, we preserved the existing building while introducing new functions, a sports hall and an intermediate building with a library,” says Serck-Hansen.

The former gymnasium has become a cultural hall, strengthening the school’s role as an important meeting place for the entire local community.

The project won the Northern Norway Architecture Prize in 2025 and in 2026, Værøy School was awarded Fortidsminneforeningen and Stiftelsen UNI’s National Preservation Award for the sensitive restoration. “The instinct for continuity has also been applied to Sterudkvartalet in Moss, where our proposal seeks to connect a major new development to its historic urban surroundings through new green routes, public connections and a landscaped centre,” adds Berge-Andersen.

It is also central to Vestlandshuset in Bergen, developed with HUS Arkitekter and Arkitektgruppen Cubus. The 27,000-square-metre county house was conceived around ideas of openness and democratic participation, with the council chamber visibly raised above the ground and the building opening itself towards the city. “People are at the centre as they’re the users of the buildings we design,” says Serck-Hansen.

Across airports, schools, civic buildings and urban quarters, NSW’s ambition is remarkably consistent: to create architecture that meets the requirements of users, is durable, has an environmental focus and belongs to its surroundings. As the practice looks towards its next generation, that may be the most important part of its inheritance; not a fixed style, but a way of thinking.