Regjeringskvartalet Nygaardsvolds plass Oslo 18jun2005

Erling Viksjø (4 July 1910 – 2 December 1971) was a Norwegian architect. Viksjø was an early exponent of architectural modernism. He was also noted for his use of textured concrete as a building material in a number of his designs.

Biography

Viksjø was born in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, Norway. He studied architecture at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...

(''Norges tekniske høgskole'') until 1935. He then moved to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

where he joined the firm of architect

Ove Bang Ove Bang (13 September 1895 – 21 May 1942) was a Norway, Norwegian architect. He was an advocate of Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in architecture. Biography Ove Bang was born at Røyken in Buskerud County, Norway. He was the ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he led the architectural firm following the death of Bang death in 1942. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

Viksjø was imprisoned in

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderma ...

from April 1944 to the war's end in May 1945. After the war he started his own architectural office. Among his designs are

Bakkehaugen Church Bakkehaugen Church is a church, located in the neighborhood of Tåsen in Oslo, Norway.Tromsø Bridge The Tromsø Bridge ( no, Tromsøbrua) is a cantilever road bridge in the city of Tromsø which is located in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It crosses the Tromsøysundet strait between Tromsdalen on the mainland and the ...

(''Tromsøbrua'') in

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

. He earned the architecture and civil engineering award

Betongtavlen Betongtavlen ("The Concrete Tablet") is a Norwegian architecture and civil engineering award issued by the National Associations of Norwegian Architects and the Norwegian Concrete Association. The award is issues to a structure "where concrete is ...

in 1961 for Bakkehaugen Church and 1963 for Tromsø Bridge. Viksjø is particularly known for his natural concrete treatment which was patented as ''Naturbetong''. In 1950, he was co-inventor (together with civil engineer Sverre Jystad) of this method of casting and machining concrete to achieve special surface effects in facades. A number of Viksjø designed buildings are listed with natural concrete including the high-rise government block in Oslo (''

Regjeringskvartalet Regjeringskvartalet (the Government Quarter) is a collection of buildings located in the centre of Norway's capital city Oslo, housing several offices for the Norwegian Government. The complex is situated approximately 300m northeast of the Par ...

''), Bergen City Hall (''Bergen rådhus'') as well as headquarter buildings of

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world an ...

Bygdøy Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948. Bygdøy is a popular ...

and Standard Telefon og Kabelfabrik.

Selected designs

* Regjeringsbygningen in Oslo, 1946–59 * Fisheries School in Honningsvåg, 1950–56 * Marmorberget housing company in Oslo, 1952–54 * Hangars at Bodø and Ørland main flight station, 1952–56 * Nordnorsk student home in Oslo, 1953–60 * Bakkehaugen Church in Oslo, 1955–59 * Oslo Health Council in Oslo, 1956–69 *

Y-Block The Y-Block was a building in Oslo, Norway, extant from 1970 to 2020. The building, designed in a Brutalist style by Erling Viksjø, was part of the (Government Quarter) in the centre of the city. It featured two murals by Pablo Picasso. It w ...

in the Government Quarter in Oslo, 1956–70 * Channel Bridge in Tønsberg, 1957 * Nordseter fjellkirke at Lillehammer, 1958–64 * Norsk Hydro administration building in Oslo, 1960–63 * Elkemhuset, Middelthuns in Oslo, 1960–65 * Tromsøbrua in Tromsø, 1963 * Cinema and samlingen at Lillehammer, 1963 * Standard Telefon og Kabelfabrik in Oslo, 1968 * Bergen City Hall in Bergen, 1968–74

References

1910 births 1971 deaths People from Trondheim Norwegian Institute of Technology alumni Modernist architects 20th-century Norwegian architects Grini concentration camp survivors {{Norway-architect-stub