An indoor piazza renovated in Norway

Renovation of a historical listed building can be tricky - especially when it is more than a hundred years old.

A historic covered market in Oslo has been restored to its original glory and received additions such as modern lighting, vegetation and water features.

The market hall is a historical listed building, which was called Østbanehallen when it was built, in 1882. The new hall, called "Ø", is a kind of indoor "piazza" where people gather to meet, shop and eat. 

Modernising such an old and historic building was seen as a challenging renovation project, so ÅF was selected to be the technical consultant for heating, ventillation and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions and for electrical installations and lighting.

The new hall has many eateries, placing a great demand on ventilation systems. The lighting concept of "sunrise" was implemented in both the indoor and outdoor lighting plan. The ambition was to blend a sense of sunrise in the old hall with the modern expression of the interior.

The new hall was re-opened in 2014.