OSLO: Veidekke ASA, one of Scandinavia’s largest construction and property development companies, has signed a contract with Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst AS to construct an environmentally certified arts centre in Trondheim city centre, which was initiated and will be funded by Kjell Erik Killi Olsen. This will be a turnkey contract valued at NOK 113 million.
“We are so grateful for the trust placed in us and are proud to have been chosen to build a cultural centre that will mean a lot to artists and cultural life in Trondheim,” says Ståle Brovold, District Manager at Veidekke Bygg Trøndelag.
The new arts centre at Kjøpmannsgata 36-38 will have a total area of approximately 3,300 m[2]. It will be home to exhibition space, art workshops, storage, a theatre stage, catering facilities, dedicated office space and offices for rent, as well as a sculpture park on the roof. The building will be environmentally certified in accordance with the BREEAM NOR Very Good standard.
Kjøpsmannsgata Ung Kunst is a generous and unique gift worth NOK 175 million to the city of Trondheim from the artist Kjell Erik Killi Olsen. It will become a meeting place for people interested in art with an interdisciplinary programme that will reach far and wide. There will be a varied exhibition schedule featuring both established and emerging artists, with a particular focus on younger artists.
The project has been developed in partnership by Killi Olsen, Kjøpmannsgata Unge Kunstnere, HUS architects AS and Veidekke. Construction work starts in January, with completion scheduled for September 2021.