Built to Dazzle in Oslo

Elevators serving one of Norway’s largest hotels are an experience in themselves. 

Financed and built by Norway’s Oslo Municipality to accommodate the 1952 Winter Olympics, what is now known as Clarion Hotel^® The Hub opened to much acclaim in December 1951. Its architects, Knut Knudsen and Fredrik Winsnes, received a Houen Award — one of Norway’s foremost prizes in architecture and construction — for what was then the largest hotel in Scandinavia, 10 years later. Originally called the Hotel Viking, and later, Hotel Royal Christiania, Clarion Hotel The Hub remains one of the largest hotels in Norway and is now owned by Nordic Choice Hotels. With 810 guest rooms and 24 conference rooms, it has been expanded and modernized several times  — most recently in 2019^[1,2] when it received 11 new Schindler elevators. Schindler Nordics Sales Director Raymond Hansen tells ELEVATOR WORLD the hotel’s new vertical-transportation (VT) system, delivered just prior to the grand reopening on July 3, 2019, consists of: 

• Eight Schindler 5500 elevators (seven of which are equipped with Schindler PORT destination-dispatch technology)
• Two hydraulic elevators
• One small dumbwaiter for food

Hansen says what was most challenging about this project was having to work in an existing building and being required to keep many walls and interior structures intact. Further, he says, many workers were onsite from various trades all at once, so precise coordination was a must. 

Working with Schindler AS Norway, Åhus i Åhmans AB, based in Åhus, Sweden, helped make the lift system high-tech, eye-catching, informative and intuitive. “When you arrive at the elevators, you are greeted by a fantastic show around the architraves,” Åhmans i Åhus CEO Henning Beyer observes. 

Four different types of metal sheet from Rimex Metals Group grace the cab interiors.

The show is nothing if not dazzling: 3D rock formations in vibrant blue and diamond white form and crumble, giving way to a very-realistic sheet of white rain. Once inside, elevator interiors based on Åhmans i Åhus’ Supreme line continue to dazzle. Back walls are perforated with integrated glowing blue backlight and an art screen.

Four different types of metal sheet from Rimex Metals Group, with global headquarters in Enfield, U.K., grace the interior: Black Hairline, Black Mirror, Cannon Bronze Pinstripe and Rosy Gold Hairline. Handrails are illuminated (in deep blue) and mirrors are equipped with Magic Mirror^TM technology from Magic Mirror, a digital signage company founded by engineers with locations in Guilford, U.K., and Selangor, Malaysia. Of Magic Mirror, Beyer says: 

“The technology is based on the fact that the information screen is completely integrated into a mirror. When it is not used for messages, it looks like a normal mirror. When it is used to communicate a message, the information comes directly into the ‘mirror’ in an almost magical way for the viewer. It’s a way of communicating that offers countless opportunities. Just like in a TV or on a computer screen, all types of communication can be displayed in a very elegant way.”

Magic Mirror, which is available in formats up to 55 in., is completely integrated into the interior of the lift car or mounted on the outside, if the client prefers. At Clarion Hotel The Hub, the technology is used to communicate news, restaurant menus and hotel information to guests. 

Magic Mirror’s monitor is always protected by vandal-resistant glass that cannot be touched without special equipment. Åhmans i Åhus Sales Manager Rolf Wennerström says this has made it popular with hotels and other commercial properties. Further, he says, ease of both installing the technology and creating content has been very well-received. “In the case of new production, it will be more-or-less standard that a Magic Mirror is integrated into a lift car interior,” he observes.

Schindler has the maintenance contract for the hotel’s VT system, and Hansen says it is performing very well four years after installation. He says Schindler is proud to have been a part of transforming an old hotel into a “super-modern hotel” with impressive elevators. 

In a 2019 Facebook post shortly after the hotel’s reopening, Schindler said: 

“Our elevators, as well as our PORT technology, offer smooth transportation to the 810 rooms and suites. This time, though, we have to admit that the lobby is even more spectacular than our elevators!”  

References

[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarion_Hotel_The_Hub_(Oslo)

[2] nasjonalmuseet.no/en/visit/locations/national-museum-architecture/the-houen-foundation-award/