The new building is taking shape

On 12 December 2011, Statsbygg sent KHiB the preliminary design for the building, as envisaged by Snøhetta. KHiB's comments were passed on to Statsbygg before Christmas. The building may be ready to move into in 2016, if everything goes as hoped.

"We have now reached such an advanced stage that we can start to take the project into account in our academic planning," says Paula Crabtree, the Rector of Bergen National Academy of the Arts, who also chairs the Board of Directors. "The need to bring students and staff together under a single roof is growing day by day. The new building is essential if we want to have an open academic dialogue with Bergen and wider society. The Ministry of Education and Research has expressed its desire to implement the project, and we hope that the good progress will continue."

In 2011, KHiB worked closely with Snøhetta and Statsbygg on the building. Between now and mid-April 2012, the preliminary design will be quality assured, before being handed over to the Ministry of Education and Research. Then it will be up to the Norwegian parliament (Storting) to decide what happens next. In the best case scenario, the building will be allocated funds in the 2013 national budget, which would allow the building to be completed as early as 2015/16.

A functional, compact and intelligent building
The current plan is for the building to be 32 metres high. That is 10.5 metres lower than the original proposal. The total floor space will be 14,500 m².

"The new building will be functional, compact and intelligent," explains Paula Crabtree. "After several rounds of revisions, many elements have been altered, but the basic concept behind the design proposal submitted to the competition has been maintained, and the building has also been adapted better to the final zoning plan for the area."