Isak Fallgren

This dissertation intends to explore the historic and current state of modernist architecture, built during the Interwar period in the city of Oslo. This particular time in Norwegian history is often referred to as the Modernist era or the era of Functionalism and was characterised by social change, commercial innovation and the rapid modernisation of Norwegian society. Modern architecture of this period served as a tool to represent new ideas regarding living, city planning, hygiene, leisure and even became the very embodiment of the modernity itself. In spite of this, this architectural movement and its buildings were also subjected to fierce critique and scrutiny. These notions became even more prevalent in the mid-twentieth century, as the value of modernist architecture and its legacy were contested, discarded and their philosophies and ideas deemed obsolete and outdated. By examining two prolific modernist buildings in Oslo by way of case studies, this thesis aims to explore the context surrounding their inception and afterlife. By interrogating their primary and secondary material, the buildings will also be discussed in conjunction to debates about their value and position in culture and heritage policies in Norway, as well as their significance within the discourse on preservation and contemporary representation of Norwegian modernist heritage of the recent past. This thesis aims to shed some new light on the varied practice of conservation regarding Modernist heritage, their stance and position within current heritage discourse and how they are being treated according to conventional conservation methods and principles. I will also try and argue, based upon critical reading on the matter, that Modernism (as a distinctive architectural style) can itself be considered a kind of heritage and that conservation as practice is constructed and designed to warrant and bestow authenticity and cultural value.