Let's clarify right away that the project was implemented in 2001, which, however, does not make it less relevant. The elevator, which became the basis for housing, was built in 1953 on the banks of the Akerselva River, at its Lower Waterfall (Nedre Foss). Its rapid current by that time had long been used to drive various machines, and therefore its banks were occupied by an industrial zone. The 53 m high elevator with 21 silo buildings arranged in three in a row stored grain for the nearby mill.
By the end of the 20th century, industries began to gradually withdraw from the shores of Akerselva, and there were plans to create a recreational zone there. In the 1980s, they wanted to convert the elevator into a hotel, and in 1993 the authorities officially allowed it to be converted into housing. At the same time, a park was laid out along the river, and historical industrial buildings were turned (and still continue to turn) into educational and cultural institutions, centers for creative start-ups, and so on.
However, it was only in 1999 that the project for the elevator, developed by the architects of HRTB, began to be implemented. The main components of its adaptation for a dormitory were the arrangement of windows and floors: the building accommodated 19 floors, 16 of which were residential.
The gray reinforced concrete walls of the building led the architects to think of bright colors as a way to bring the object to life. The artist Lykke Frydenlund developed a color scheme for the building: each floor received its own shade, which dominates the interior, while the exterior is used in the decoration of the windows.
In total, the hostel, which is known by the name of the district - Grünerløkka studenthus or as SiO Silo, has 226 apartments. Most of them - with one (165) or two bedrooms (39) - are located in round silo buildings. The unusual plan required special skill from interior designer Ingrid Løvstad; among other things, special furniture had to be designed for the dormitory, emphasizing the configuration of the premises and the rough concrete of the walls.
The rectangular working body of the elevator contains elevators, stairs, and 22 duplexes. The total area of the hostel is 9000 m2.
Public spaces are located on the lower floors, where they are also displayed as a reminder of the past, the freight tram that carried grain from the elevator to the mill, and the old flour scales. Also, all residents have equal access to the upper floor and the rooftop terrace, from where wonderful views of the city open.
