Two storeys of history
Upping the stakes in one of Oslo’s historic factory buildings.
Growth has been rapid for the past two years, with multiple big projects and a doubling of the team. We’d outgrown our old offices. After five years in the old shop, it was time to go big.
We’ve settled nicely into our 600 sq m of concrete, glass and aluminum stairways in the heart of town. A faint smell of drool-inducingly good bbq from the restaurant downstairs can be had on the patio outside, and having an office overlooking Akerselva is a never-ending source of entertainment –with its hordes of toppling kayakers, up-stream shallow divers, and electric scooter riders drowning their rides.
Our new office spans two full storeys and is connected to Norway’s oldest electrical substation, dating back to 1898. Your great-great-great-great grandparents lived then. Two additions to the building were added in 1912 and 1947. The factory underwent major rebuilding in 2006 in order to house offices, apartments, and DOGA.
Making new stories
In the same building where we’re now building digital products to transform airport travel and make shopping personal, some guy’s job back in the day was to turn on every single street light in town — by manually flipping a switch for each light.
When we first visited the space last year we instantly saw the potential but knew it needed a lot of work. We had the pleasure to work closely with the owner and real estate developer Aspelin Ramm, who is doing some of the most interesting projects in town these days, like the neighboring Vulkan. As we’re used to slightly smaller canvases than the 600 sq m we now occupy, we got renowned interior architect Ellen Ledsten onboard to call the big shots. Keeping in spirit with renewing the old, she’s reworked a lot of what was already there to create a fantastic space for us to be inspired and do great work. With two floors, multiple workshop rooms, a relaxed sofa area for design crits, and a big kitchen for brewing fresh coffee or eating late-night dinners, we feel more suited than ever to take on the big projects ahead.
Getting the floor dirty
The other really great thing about this place is that it doubles as a club. It’s true, we tried. Our 250 closest friends joined us in celebrating the new offices, the launch of our new visual identity, and the new unfold.no.
Steaming hot hamburgers from food truck GoGrilla greeted people outside, our first floor was stacked with Unfold beer, great DJs from femme creative collective KOSO, and as the night evolved, a dance floor. The gin bar upstairs turned out to be smashingly popular and we kinda feel bad for the lone bartender serving up the goods.
Needless to say, we’re looking forward to next time. Wanna know about parties, events, and work? Sign up to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook.
