Oslo School of Architecture and Design

Oslo School Of Architecture And Design

The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, AHO, is one of Norway's three architectural schools.

AHO is an autonomous institution within the Norwegian university system. The school was established directly after World War II as a «crisis course» for students of architecture who were unable to finish their degree due to the outbreak of the war. Prior to this, the only Norwegian option for obtaining an architectural degree was at Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) in Trondheim.

All through the first half of the twentieth century, a group of architects had worked hard towards the establishment of an architectural school that was more aesthetically and academically oriented than a polytechnic education. The school was finally located in Oslo, since it was generally felt that the capital had access to many of the nation’s best practicing architects.

In the beginning, the architectural course was part of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. In 1961 The Oslo School of Architecture was established as an independent school, and, from 1968, located in St. Olavs gate.

In 1979, the first formal education in industrial design in Norway was offered as a two-year postgraduate study. A full degree program was established in 1983, and in 1989 this was placed under the direction of The Norwegian Arts and Crafts School. Then, in 1996, the Institute of Industrial Design became part of the Oslo School of Architecture.

In 2001 the school moved into a new building in central Oslo, and in 2005 the school changed its name to The Oslo School of Architecture and design.

The school offers Masters degrees in architecture, industrial design, urbanism and landscape architecture. There is also a PhD program. There are about 600 students and an academic staff of about 100.