Lysaker

Lysaker is a section of and a postal code area of the Norwegian municipality of Bærum, just west of Oslo.

Geographically, it is bordered by Lysakerelven (Lysaker River) on the east, which also forms the border to Oslo; Fornebu to the south; Stabekk to the west; and Jar to the north. Its economic and demographic development is in large part a result of the main rail (Drammensbanen and European route E18) thoroughfares from Oslo to Drammen and points south. The E18 thoroughfare is the busiest road in Norway, with some 170,000 cars passing through daily.

Once primarily a residential area, mostly known because Fridtjof Nansen lived there, an increasing number of office parks have overtaken Lysaker since the late 1970s. Although a few industrial sites (Findus, Barnengen, and Granfos Brug) and some office buildings (Klaveness) had been situated in Lysaker for some time, the construction of engineering offices for Kværner (Now known as Aker Solutions) along Emanuels vei marked the beginning of a trend that has profoundly changed the area. The built-up area in the center of Lysaker is now known as Lysakerlokket — "Lysaker lid," because so much of the construction is elevated.

In addition to office buildings, the highway system has also been changed dramatically, with tunnels, overpasses, and underpasses.

Some architectural features are worth noting:

• The characteristic round shape of the Klaveness building has become a recurring theme in newer office structures built around it;
• The old paper mill known as Granfos Brug has in large measure been preserved through the development of Granfos Næringspark

The area around Lysakerelven has been set aside and developed much like a park, with new or renovated bridges from Lysaker to the Oslo neighborhood of Lilleaker.