Meieribygningen 1953

From 1859, a farmyard was built and developed, with a forge, barn, carriage shed, storehouse, dwellings and more in the area around Andedammen. In addition to the brick buildings, there was thus a large wooden house environment in this area. In 1945, the operating building (the main wing of the barn) from around 1892 burned down. The fire site made room for the facilities that the Dairy Institute needed. Meieribygningen (The dairy building) was designed and planned. It got the same orientation and similar volume as the operating building that burned down.

Dairy, experimental laboratory and workplaces

Meieribygningen, the pilot facility and the lighthouse are a connected facility built according to drawings by the architects Morgenstierne and Eide. In 2024, the building complex will be referred to as follows; The dairy and the pilot plant are referred to as Meieribygningen, and the Lighthouse is referred to as Varmesentralen (the Heating Center).

Meieribygningen is constructed in concrete and clad with granite and brick. The beams are made of concrete and the roof structure is made of timber. The roof is a hipped cantilevered truss roof covered with tiles. The building is partly characterized by Swiss forms, possibly as a reference to Swiss dairy traditions

The building was erected in the period 1949-1953 and was to house Meieriinstituttet (the Dairy Institute) and Forsøksmeieriet (the Experimental Dairy). The construction cost was 6.7 million kr. The building has a gross area of 9500 square meters.

Meieribygningen and Forsøksmeieriet replaced Meieribygningen from 1901. That building is also protected by law and is today named Meierimuseet (the Dairy Museum).

Dairy production was central to the turnover and production of milk and dairy products and thus an important field of study for the university. Jarlsberg cheese was developed in these premises. Modernization and efficiency of production were particularly important in the post-war period. The focus on this area led to the establishment of dairy schools around the country. 

The buildings original content

The laboratory building was erected in Trondheim’s cavity wall, with a basement that contained wardrobes, machine rooms, archives. Lower floor with library, meeting room and laboratories, first floor with auditoriums, offices and laboratories, second floor with offices and laboratories.

The floor separations are made of concrete and the foundations, which are made of concrete, are partially clad with granite. The roof structures are hipped roofs made of wood. All roofs are covered with tiles.

The dairy was built in compact brick wall, with a basement for cheese storage, teaching and experimental rooms. On the first floor there are production rooms, machine hall and machine test room. On the second floor there are cooling tank storage, experimental rooms and offices.

Decor and details

Meieribygningen has many elaborate details. The oak door on the milk ramp is a masterpiece, and could just as well have been the entrance to a church. If you look closely, you will see that on facades and doors there are many fantastic decorative fields and color details. If you stand on the milk ramp and lean your head back, you see, under the eaves, elaborate color fields. The beautiful outdoor lamps are a true picture of the 1950s style in Europe.

In 1992, a floor was added to the intermediate building, so that the connecting corridor over the roof was built in.

In the 2000s, several changes have been made in the placement of cold rooms and adaptations to modern facilities for dairy and food production inside the building

Sources

• Verneplan (conservation plan) for UMB. Bygninger og park i det sentrale universitetsanlegget (Buildings and park in the central university complex). Part 1. UMB 2006. Pages 47-49.
• St.meld. nr. 10 1958, s. 339. (Parliament notice nr. 10 1958, p. 339)
• Norges landbrukshøgskole, 1859 – 1959, p. 440.