Framo Engineering headquarters

Four separate structures are bound together by three large glass squares. The outer walls are made of glass stretching from the ground up to the large, black roof posts. Above the glass-covered squares, three pyramids of glass rise majestically toward the sky. High up in the middle pyramid there is a spectacular boardroom – a room of glass inside a pyramid of glass. On the rear side of the building there are several outdoor squares designed to attract as much sunlight as possible.

From the outside of the building and from large parts of the building’s interior, one can see many offices at the same time. People visiting the building have various degrees of view of the common areas, such as the glass squares, the lobby and the park-like valley below, featuring a golf course.

Framo is a world leader in developing and manufacturing pumps and other advanced equipment for the oil and gas industries. About 260 persons, mostly engineers, are working at the new headquarters. The building has a capacity of 300, and features walls and interior systems that can be easily moved and adapted if needed. For the well-being of the employees, each workplace is larger than what is normal for a standard Norwegian office. Energy efficiency is high, with motion sensors controlling both light and ventilation in the rooms.

The building has been partially blasted into a cliff and is thus protected against winds blowing from the west, with the front facing east, bending slightly around grassy green lawns free of cars. Vehicles that usually dominate the space in front of such buildings are hidden out of view in an underground garage facility with a discrete entrance. The entire complex is enveloped in green – grass, trees and bushes are growing all around the headquarters and even on the roof.