The long and winding road where many people need to be heard and understood.

The long and winding road where many people need to be heard and understood.

From the royal opening of FUBIAK in 2016.

Just before the opening: New stair between ground and 1st floors.

From the opening. A small boy sits atop the giant stuffed rabbit “Trygve”, named after Trygve Lie from Furuset, the first Secretary General of the UN.

Communal space, ground floor.

Teaching room, ground floor.

Newspaper corner by the entrance.

Reading caves for kids.

Sound studio.

Open library on ground floor with “Trygve” the giant rabbit.

Reading cave.

Ground floor plan. 1. Foyer and reading, 2. Newspaper corner, 3. Stair and elevator, 4. Group space, 5. Administration, 6. Teaching/Multi-use, 7. Reading caves, 8. Communal space, 9. Cinematheke, 10. Café, 11. Kitchen, 12. Dance studio, 13. Music studio, 14. Gaming room.

First floor plan. 1. Foyer and reading, 2. Newspaper corner, 3. Stair and elevator, 4. Group space, 5. Administration, 6. Teaching/Multi-use, 7. Reading caves, 8. Communal space, 9. Cinematheke, 10. Café, 11. Kitchen, 12. Dance studio, 13. Music studio, 14. Gaming room.



Whether it is a single-family house, a bridge or an office building, there is always a communal dimension to a project. This community perspective is one of the most important aspects of planning and maintaining a cultural arena. FUBIAK was a low-cost refurbishment that has made Furuset Library one of the most visited local culture centres in Oslo.

The initial aim of the project was to collect a number of municipal public activities under one roof. A significant part of the programming process was involving prospective participating user groups, to prepare them for cohabitation on a limited area. The result has transformed a mediocre 1990’s office building into an activity centre where library, youth centre, voluntary services and adult education intermingle.