Bjergsted Financial Park is the new headquarter for Sparebank 1 SR-Bank in Stavanger, where the company can realize its visions and offering the best for the surroundings and their customers and employees. This seven-floor high building is an example of a future workplace and is one of Europe’s largest office buildings in timber. The 13 500m2 over ground structure of timber rests on a 9000m2 underground structure.

The volume varies in height to accommodate the varied scales and character of the surrounding buildings. There is a central atrium which brings in light, air and green qualities into the building. Social areas and meeting rooms are organised around this space and act as a buffer towards the quieter workplaces along the façades of the building. The galleries are connected by a spectacular open stair. There is a strong contrast between the sharp, triangulated exterior of glass and metal, against the interior organic design in timber.

One of the strong intentions was for the timber structure to create an authentic and unique spatial, tectonic and aesthetic experience. The visible timber joints make a special architectonic characteristic with the visible beech dowels connecting the columns with the organically shaped beams. This is developed with the Swiss engineer Hermann Blümer.

The great use of visible wood was mostly due to its experiential and health-bringing qualities. The innate sustainable aspects of timber provide ground for a BREEAM-NOR outstanding certification. This sustainable approach has encouraged the use of products of high quality which is preferably locally sourced which has determined decisions from choice of building system to interior elements such as the furniture produced by local furniture designers and producers.

The large variety of timbers used in the structural elements all has a similar aesthetic that is woven together to a holistic organic experience of timber.