Bikuben 2020
Bikuben translates to "The Beehive".
The building that houses the cafeteria, reading rooms, and lecture halls was part of Statsbygg’s “Campus Ås” project. In the project, the building was named the Common Building. This was intended to be a building that ensured synergies and gathering of students and staff across the entire campus.
At the start of planning, the building was 5,000 square meters, but the project had to be cut, and the size was halved. Additionally, there were significant discussions about where the building should be located.
Eventually, after approval from the preservation authorities and after the property department’s offices and workshop were demolished, it ended up slightly within the protected Fougnerhaugen.
The building forms a natural entrance portal to the entire Ås campus from Oluf Thesens vei, between the new Veterinary Building and the old, venerable Urbygningen. The concept was developed by Fabel Architects and Henning Larsen Architects. The building was erected by Hent.
About the Building
Bikuben is a central gathering point for students, staff, and visitors, with flexible and robust room solutions that allow for various activities throughout the day, all year round. NMBU does not have a cafeteria in the Veterinary Building, so Bikuben is the nearest cafeteria for those located there.
Statsbygg had high environmental ambitions for the building. It is a passive house heated by CO2-neutral district heating. A lot of wood has been used, both internally and externally. The load-bearing structures above ground are made of glulam, and externally the building is clad with long-lasting wood panels that require little maintenance.
The university took over Bikuben in the summer of 2020, one year earlier than the Veterinary Building was put into use.
Facts about Bikuben
- Gross area: 2,700 sqm, Net area: 2,250 sqm
- An auditorium for 150 people
- A lecture hall
- A reading room
- Six group rooms
- Common areas and reading areas furnished for approximately 100 people
- The cafeteria is usually furnished for 170 people but can accommodate up to 200 people
- The amphitheater is designed to hold 150 people
- According to fire regulations, 800 people can be in the building simultaneously.
From Common Building to Bikuben
In the “Campus Ås” project, around 17 million NOK was allocated for art. In the Common Building, the art became part of the lighting. The artwork “Honningdogg” was placed under the high ceiling above the cafeteria and amphitheater. Such a beautiful artwork, with a name that fits the building’s function and one of the important areas the university researches and teaches, deserved a more vibrant name than the Common Building. “Bikuben” (The Beehive) was a fitting name for a building that is meant to be an interdisciplinary, creative, and bustling meeting place and learning arena. It was only natural that staff with good knowledge of insects were asked to suggest names for the rooms in Bikuben. Very quickly, beautiful names and insect-themed decorations were in place. All group rooms are named after different species of wasps.
Artworks in Bikuben (sourced from KORO)
Honningdogg, 2020
Artist; Marte Johnslien (born 1977)
Material: Glulam and mouth-blown colored glass
In Marte Johnslien’s large, sculptural ceiling installation, we see drop-shaped flasks of colored glass, resembling honey drops from beehive-like forms in the ceiling. The artwork refers to Norse mythology and the story of the world tree Yggdrasil. In saga literature, it is described that the tree’s honeydew provides food for the bees, a belief that was common before it was understood that the honey was actually produced by the bees themselves. The honey can be interpreted as the tree’s elixir of life, nourishing all living beings. The metaphor of the tree overflowing with knowledge and nourishment can also be transferred to NMBU as a place for learning, research, development, and knowledge, especially concerning environmental protection and animals. “Honningdogg” reminds us of nature’s presence, like real colonies of insects that sometimes establish themselves in houses. The fact that bees have become a symbol of the climate challenges the world faces in recent years is another thought-provoking aspect of the artwork. The glass was produced by Hadeland Glassworks.
Composition for a choir
Artist: Andres Siqueland (born 1973)
The artwork is located in the auditorium Gullvepsen.
The installation consists of two paintings, a textile frieze of four wall hangings, and a sound piece that starts each time a lecture begins. The paintings are embedded in the wall and depict an open landscape with colors and shapes interwoven.
Andreas Siqueland has an art education from Geneva and Copenhagen. He primarily works with painting, often in large formats, and explores the relationship between the painting and the place where it is created and displayed.