Statens hus
Statens hus is an office building in Nordfjordeid in Stad Municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The building was formally opened on April 30, 2025, by State Secretary Emil Raaen. It was constructed as a result of the national pilot project "Pilot Statens hus", initiated by Erna Solberg's cabinet in 2021 to co-locate and strengthen state sector jobs in rural areas.[1][2]
The building houses regional offices for the Norwegian Police Service, the Norwegian Tax Administration, and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), as well as a municipal "district hub" designed for state employees working remotely in the region.[3]
History
Origins
The concept of establishing a "Statens hus" model in Nordfjordeid was publicly proposed in March 2019 during the Liberal Party (Venstre) national congress in Stjørdal.[4] The initiative was advocated for by party leader Trine Skei Grande, parliamentary leader Terje Breivik, and then mayor of Stad Alfred Bjørlo. They argued that uncoordinated restructuring across different state sectors was draining rural regions of government jobs. By co-locating smaller regional branches into one physical building with shared facilities, they aimed to create a cross-disciplinary professional environment that could facilitate remote work and retain public sector expertise outside the major cities.[4]
During the initial 2019 pitch, politicians explicitly singled out the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen)—which was undergoing its own national reorganization at the time—as a primary candidate to anchor the decentralized workplace model.[4]
Bjørlo continued to actively lobby the national government to adopt this model in his home region.[5]
Pilot project
Following these proposals, Erna Solberg's cabinet formally adopted the concept and launched "Pilot Statens hus". In June 2020, the government selected four municipalities to participate in the pilot program: Stad, Orkland, Narvik, and Lyngdal.[6][1] Stad was the only one of the four municipalities that ended up constructing an entirely new, dedicated building for the pilot, a decision driven primarily by the fact that several of the participating local state agencies had expiring short-term lease agreements.[2][7]
The pilot's financial backing was first announced locally in Nordfjordeid on September 18, 2020, with Bjørlo confirming that Stad would receive 4 million NOK.[8] In October 2020, the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation officially proposed the pilot framework and a total allocation of 16 million NOK across a four-year period in the National Budget for 2021 (Prop. 1 S 2020–2021) under Chapter 553, Post 65.[9][10]
Following Parliament's approval of the budget, the Ministry issued the formal assignment letter on March 10, 2021.[9] The administrative process required the funds to be distributed through the county municipalities. Vestland County Municipality was tasked with transferring the 4 million NOK grant to Stad Municipality, on the condition that Stad submit a preliminary project report for ministerial approval.[9] Stad's municipal director, Kristine Dahl, served as the formal project manager for the pilot.[6] The mandate dictated that the funding could cover a dedicated local project manager but strictly prohibited its use for regular salaries of participating state or county employees.[9]
To independently assess the initiative, the Ministry commissioned Oxford Research to conduct an ongoing evaluation. Their final report, published in September 2025, concluded that the physical co-location in Stad successfully fulfilled the national goal of creating a stronger, unified public sector environment in the region.[7]
Design and construction
Statens hus in Nordfjordeid is located at Alléen 21. Following several years of political planning, Stad mayor Sigurd Reksnes formally announced the final greenlight for the building's construction in January 2024.[11] To make room for the structure, an older barn on the site, locally known as "Wieselada", was demolished.[2] Groundwork began in March 2024, and the building was handed over on February 28, 2025, following an 11-month construction period.[2]
The official opening took place two months later, on April 30, 2025, in conjunction with "Fjordspenn 2025", a regional district policy conference hosted in Nordfjordeid.[6] During peak construction phases, the site employed between 30 and 40 workers.[12]
The developer and owner of the building is Sisa Invest AS, a company owned by former cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie.[2] Following the project's completion, Sisa Invest stated its intention to use the building as a reference model for future government tenders.[2] Statsbygg is the main tenant with a 15-year lease agreement, which includes an option for an additional five years.[2] The general contractor for the project was HS Bygg, with architectural services provided by Besseggen Arkitekter (exterior) and IARK (interior).[2]
To maximize interaction between the different state agencies, the physical layout of the interior—including the common areas and the district hub—was based on a joint adjacency diagram (nærhetsdiagram). A local working group composed of agency representatives was also established to advise the interior architects on the practical use and furnishing of the space.[7]
The Template:Convert/m2 building spans three floors. The exterior facade is clad with Rockpanel boards, and the sun shading system was provided by Norsol.[12] The building's aluminum-clad windows were supplied by the local manufacturer Norgesvinduet Bjørlo.[12]
Tenants
The building is designed to promote collaboration across state agencies, with an estimated capacity of 60 to 70 workplaces.[2] Employees share a communal social zone and canteen, and the facility includes 75 personal lockers.[2] It houses offices for:
- The Police. The station serves as the administrative headquarters (hovudsete) for the police district in Nordfjord.[11]
- The Tax Administration
- NAV
- A municipal "district hub" of Template:Convert/m2. This functions as a flexible open-plan office for state employees who live in the region but have their primary workplace elsewhere.[3]
The eastern side of the building, which houses the police station, incorporates specific security infrastructure. This wing is separated from the other state agencies and includes exterior fencing, reinforced steel doors, and a gated garage on the ground floor.[2]
Statens vegvesen absence
While the core concept of the "Statens hus" pilot was the co-location of state actors—and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) had been explicitly highlighted as a key target agency during the project's conception in 2019—the agency formally declined to move into the building.[4][13] Representatives from the agency cited tight budget frameworks, government efficiency demands, a lack of need for new localities, and a desire to keep their existing professional environments gathered as the primary reasons for opting out of the pilot.[13]
The refusal led to local debate and political reactions in the winter of 2020, with local politicians arguing that the agency's absence undermined the primary decentralization objectives of the pilot. The conflict escalated to the national level when the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which had previously instructed the agency to actively participate in the project, publicly reiterated its expectation that the agency would join.[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pilot Statens hus" (in Norwegian). Regjeringen.no. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/kommuner-og-regioner/regional--og-distriktspolitikk/arbeid-kompetanse/pilot-statens-hus/id2964330/.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 "Statens hus Nordfjordeid" (in Norwegian). Byggeindustrien. https://byggeprosjekter.bygg.no/2025-vestland/statens-hus-nordfjordeid/2771586.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Klart for Statens hus i Stad" (in Norwegian). Statsbygg. https://www.statsbygg.no/nyheter/klart-for-statens-hus-i-stad/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Venstre vil prøve ut ny «Statens Hus»-modell på Nordfjordeid" (in Norwegian). Stad Venstre. 2019-03-11. https://www.venstre.no/artikkel/2019/03/11/venstre-vil-prove-ut-ny-statens-hus-modell-pa-nordfjordeid/.
- ↑ "«Distriktspsykopaten» kjempet gjennom Statens hus i hjembygden" (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. https://www.bt.no/nyheter/i/A26pdA/distriktspsykopaten-kjempet-gjennom-statens-hus-i-hjembygden.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ingebjørg Nilsen (2025-04-25). "Klart for opning av Statens hus" (in Norwegian). Fjordabladet. https://www.fjordabladet.no/nyhende/n/vgjXxB/klart-for-opning-av-statens-hus.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Følgeevaluering Statens hus: Sluttrapport fra følgeevalueringen av pilotene i Statens hus" (in Norwegian). Oxford Research Group. 2025-09-08. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/4f0206e7f4f94085a04096538f82f604/sluttrapport-statens-hus-.pdf.
- ↑ "Stad får 4 millionar kroner til Statens hus-pilot" (in Norwegian). Venstre. 2020-09-18. https://www.venstre.no/artikkel/2020/09/18/stad-far-4-millionar-kroner-til-statens-hus-pilot-2/.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Oppdragsbrev: Statsbudsjettet 2021 - kap 553, post 65 Omstilling - oppdrag Pilot Statens hus" (in Norwegian). Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. 2021-03-10. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/f03c00d7abb2486c8fbf5a315c994cc4/oppdragsbrev-til-agder-vestland-trondelag-og-nordland-fylkeskommuner-pilot-statens-hus.pdf.
- ↑ "Prop. 1 S (2020–2021)" (in Norwegian). Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/prop.-1-s-20202021/id2768453/?ch=2.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Statens hus skal byggast på Nordfjordeid" (in Norwegian). NRK. 2024-01-12. https://www.nrk.no/vestland/statens-hus-skal-byggast-pa-nordfjordeid--1.16713224.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Statens hus Nordfjordeid" (in Norwegian). Bygg.no. 2025-03-24. https://www.bygg.no/files/2025/03/24/Statens%20hus.pdf.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Kraftige reaksjonar på at Vegvesenet ikkje vil vere med på Statens hus i Nordfjordeid" (in Norwegian). [[NRK]. 2020-12-23. https://www.nrk.no/vestland/kraftige-reaksjonar-pa-at-vegvesenet-ikkje-vil-vere-med-pa-statens-hus-i-nordfjordeid-1.15300247.