Regjeringskvartalet


Regjeringskvartalet 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 Parliament Building, and consists of nine buildings with about 1,960,000 sq f of office space employing approximately 4,430 people.

History

The current site was originally occupied by a district, named Empirekvartalet for its numerous neoclassical buildings, constructed in Empire style. As early as 1885, plans existed for constructing a governmental district in central Oslo. After numerous attempts were made to finalise plans, the Empirekvartalet was finally razed in the early 1950s. The destruction of the district was widely opposed by many members of the citizenry and conservator authorities. Select wooden buildings were deconstructed and placed in storage and were later re-assembled at other sites in the city.
The new Regjeringskvartalet was subsequently established and constructed in a contemporary modernist style.
On 22 July 2011, Regjeringskvartalet was the site of a car bombing in connection with the 2011 Norway attacks. Eight people were killed and over 200 others injured, and several buildings were heavily damaged. Following the damage, the decision was taken by the government to demolish and reconstruct the Regjeringskvartalet to meet updated standards for security, working space and environmental regulations.

Overview

Regjeringskvartalet consists of the following buildings:
Between the late 1950s and the early 1970s, artist Pablo Picasso made sketches for his first five first monumental concrete murals to be executed on the buildings’ interiors and exteriors. The largest, The Fisherman, is installed on the façade of Y-block. Norwegian artists Inger Sitter, Kai Fjell and Carl Nesjar, among others, also made works for the buildings. When the government considered whether to demolish the buildings after the 2011 attacks, the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage expressed its fears that Picasso’s murals for two of them may be destroyed.