The predecessor to what would become RATIO arkitekter first made its name with its design for the national hospital in Oslo in 1990.
“When the project was completed, it provided the perfect calling card for us to land other projects in the medical sector,” says Per Christian Brynildsen, one of six partners in the architecture firm.
“By 2003, however, we were ready to branch out and took part in a competition to build a new concert hall. To everyone’s surprise our design won. This opened up a completely new field for us, albeit still mainly in the public sector. Our repertoire expanded to include swimming pools, museums, universities and other public buildings.
In 2010, we merged with another small firm called BGO Architects and RATIO arkitekter was born.”
Today, the company is always a strong competitor in open competitions for major projects. Its designs are resolutely modern while incorporating natural materials and plenty of natural light. “We are currently working on a new life sciences building for the University of Oslo.
For this, we won the competition in collaboration with CUBO architects in Denmark, competing against seven other teams,” says Mr. Brynildsen. “When finished the new building will become an important connection piece between hospital and university at the campus and cover a total area of 70,000 m2.” However, it is not just the design that wins over clients. RATIO’s expertise in project management and ability to provide value for money also weigh in its favour.
“Thanks to our project experience and reputation, we are able to win on the basis of competence, capacity and price,” says Mr. Brynildsen. “We give our clients what they need in accordance with their budget. We design buildings for people and consult extensively with all stakeholders to create a structure that will work on all levels. We are also very conscious of our responsibility towards the environment and aim to use good architecture to make our buildings as energy-efficient as they can be.”
The majority of its projects are in Norway but RATIO has also worked on buildings abroad, including a hospital in Jena, Germany and contributions to projects in Canada, Sweden and Iceland. “We keep our eyes open for suitable international projects but expect growth in the future to be based primarily in Norway,” says Mr. Brynildsen.
“We have taken on a number of staff to work on new projects. We would like to continue the good work we are currently doing and hope that our buildings and projects will be more visible and get the attention they deserve. We also want to bring more young people into the company to set it up for the future.”