The Voksenåsen National Gift

Voksenåsen is a hotel and cultural center dedicated to promoting Swedish-Norwegian understanding and creating spaces for knowledge and dialogue, with a particular focus on young people.

The organization is structured as a Norwegian limited liability company, wholly owned by the Swedish government through the Ministry of Culture, with a public mandate adopted by the Riksdag. Voksenåsen houses both a non-profit cultural center and a commercial hotel and conference facility.

The buildings and the property are owned and managed by the National Property Board, the Swedish government agency responsible for managing cultural heritage properties and national cultural environments.

Voksenåsen is intended to serve as a hub for cultural and community life in Norway and Sweden, while also offering attractive hotel and conference facilities in Oslo. This is how we combine our social mission with commercial operations. The interaction between the hotel and the cultural center creates synergies, and the two parts of the business reinforce each other.

A building of its time

In May 1955, the deed of gift was formally presented by the Prime Minister of Norway at the top of the then-undeveloped site on Voksenkollen. An architectural competition was announced, and in the early stages, the jury’s favorite was a National Romantic proposal featuring traditional-style buildings arranged around a courtyard for outdoor activities and folk dancing.

Then an alternative proposal emerged: SCHERZO, designed by the young architects Hans Kjell Larsen and Terje Thorstensen. The proposal stood out for its modern design language and its clear adaptation to the undulating terrain, and was ultimately selected as the winner of the competition.

The Swedish jury member Sven Markelius, one of the leading figures of Swedish functionalism, is often cited as having been decisive in the outcome. He argued for a “building of its time,” free from references to the traditional ski hotels of the era.

The result was a building that is now regarded as a key example of postwar Nordic architecture, often compared to both the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the architecture of Alvar Aalto.

The architecture is characterized by the clean lines, horizontal volumes, and large windows typical of late modernism. The materials—whitewashed brick, weathered wood, copper, natural stone, and oak—create a close connection between the buildings and the surrounding landscape.

Its location at the top of Voksenkollen creates a peaceful and open setting around Voksenåsen, with views of the city and the Oslo Fjord. The interplay between nature, architecture, and interior design remains an important part of the Voksenåsen experience.

The complex is now twice as large as it was when it opened in 1960 and consists of 84 hotel rooms, one suite, and ten meeting rooms. The original building remains the heart of the complex, surrounded by extensions from various periods that carry on the site’s architectural vision.

The interiors are characterized by simplicity, light colors, and high-quality Scandinavian furniture in both classic and modern styles. Several original pieces of furniture and light fixtures have been preserved.

A Book About Voksenåsen

In 2025, the book *Voksenåsen – A Building for the Future* was published by Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing. The book explores Voksenåsen’s architecture, history, and social mission through essays by Nina Berre, Denise Hagströmer, Bo Hofsten, Anna Florén, and Per Ritzler, among others, as well as photographs by Yanan Li.

The book tells the story of how Voksenåsen was created as a project for peace and the future for coming generations, and how the site is still seen as modern and relevant, more than 65 years after it opened.

The book is available for purchase at Tanum, Norli, at our reception desk, or through the publisher’s website.