The structure is located in the city harbor, which is currently undergoing a large-scale reconstruction. It is part of the multifunctional complex "Opera Quarter": the famous opera house designed by Snøhetta is located very close.
This complex of eight buildings is also known as a Barcode and, like a real barcode, its enclosures can vary in height and width, but must always maintain a rectangular outline. However, Snøhetta was allowed to experiment a little (as did MVRDV: their DnB NOR building is also hardly a box), and the architects were inspired by the image of an iceberg breaking away from a glacier. Their 2007 project became known as "Iceberg", the implementation of which began only in 2011: obviously, the financial situation still affected, although in 2010 the architects confidently declared that "there is no crisis in Norway."
The constructed building turned out to be more restrained than the original plan. The solution of the facade has been greatly simplified, now the "lace" is formed from panels of only four types; the glazed "crack", which crosses the building diagonally, has also narrowed. However, the rooftop terrace of a complex configuration has been preserved intact: it complements the cafeteria for employees and conference rooms located at the very top - on the 13-16th floors.
The floors from the third to the 12th are occupied by offices, and the two lower ones are intended for shops and cafes, because the building faces the so-called station commons. This public space serves as a passage from the embankment to a pedestrian bridge that leads across the train tracks to the station and the city center, and will become very busy when the surrounding areas are completed.
