In conjunction with the National Museum’s focus on the theme of housing in 2018, we are renewing our permanent architecture exhibition. With models, drawings and photographs from the collection, the exhibition offers insights into the history of modern Norwegian housing.

How have notions of housing quality changed during the century from around 1920 to the present? The exhibition shows how Norwegian architects have explored new forms of housing and new approaches to urban planning in residential projects.

Of central interest are the garden cities of the inter-war period and the expansion of the suburbs after WWII. Alongside the main emphasis on social housing, the exhibition looks at experiments in home architecture in terms of selected detached houses. Atrium houses from the 1960s are also on show. This type of house formed according to theorist Christian Norberg-Schultz a particularly fruitful test bed for new life styles.

The book Hva er en god bolig? (What is a good home?) by Ketil Moe and Johan-Ditlev Martens will be published by Universitetsforlaget to coincide with the exhibition.