Oslo Spektrum - History

History

Oslo Spektrum was part of a large-scale redevelopment of the formerly industrial Grønland/Vaterland area. It was designed by LPO Arkitektkontor AS, and its exterior walls were decorated with ceramic tiles containing fragments of prints by the artist Rolf Nesch. Since this artist died in 1975, permission was obtained from his living relatives, and the decorating was supervised by painter Guttorm Guttormsgaard and ceramic artist Søren Ubisch. In 2004 Oslo Spektrum was awarded the Oslo City Council's award for outstanding architectural achievement. At the time of opening it was Norway's largest indoor arena, with a capacity of 9,700 at concerts and 6,500 during sporting events). It has since been expanded several times. In Greater Oslo both Vallhall Arena (capacity 13,000 for concerts/4,000 for sporting events) and Telenor Arena (capacity 25,000/15,000) provide larger venues. Oslo Spektrum was conceived as a multi-purpose arena although it was intended primarily for ice hockey. In this capacity it was intended as the home of both Vålerenga Ishockey and Furuset Ishockey, but this did not work out as expected and the venue was soon left to rely on other means of generating revenue.