1. Profile

TEAM 2 is a collaboration between two practices:
Hølmebakk Øymo and Jensen & Skodvin Architects.

Both practices share a background from the School of Architecture in Oslo and have since gained national and international recognition through award-winning projects and extensive coverage in architectural media. Based in Oslo, the two offices have maintained a close personal and professional relationship since their student days.

Together, they have worked on several collaborative projects, including completed buildings and various professional and academic initiatives. Both JSA and HØ distinguished themselves early on with projects closely connected to land and landscape, often incorporating terrain and vegetation as integral elements of the architectural expression. Many of their early projects were small in scale with everyday programs, but nevertheless stood out as clear architectural statements, such as the Truck Garage at Rolvsøy (JOJ) and Uthus at Ullern (CVH). Other projects, like JSA’s church at Mortensrud and CVH’s mortuary in Asker, carried a more profound thematic content.

Central to the practice of both offices is the Norwegian Road Administration’s Norwegian Scenic Routes project, which has been an important area of involvement for JSA and HØ from its inception.

OUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

JSA and HØ share a fundamental belief that the architectural solution lies at the heart of the project itself—whether expressed through natural qualities or programmatic interpretations. Our influences trace back to our student days under Sverre Fehn and Christian Norberg-Schulz, with architects such as Louis Kahn, Sigurd Lewerenz, and Jørn Utzon serving as key references. Many would also say that our two offices continue the legacy of Sverre Fehn, where construction and geometry are pivotal in shaping architectural interpretation. Our education at the Oslo School of Architecture (under Sverre Fehn) and at the Cooper Union in New York (under John Hejduk) also provided a vital window into understanding other artistic expressions as both inspiration and tools in the development of architectural ideas.

The importance of architectural craftsmanship—through meticulous detailing, a deep knowledge of materials, and technical solutions—has always been central to our approach. This has led us to believe that architectural value can be found in any building task, regardless of its scale, location, or user capacity. However, our most immediate and profound source of inspiration remains the interaction with the project’s natural and cultural context—whether it’s a work of art in an exhibition or elements such as the site’s views, light quality, topography, vegetation, and human interaction.

We are confident that the museum project at Kistefos offers all the "ingredients" necessary for us to fully realize the potential of this task.

Hølmebakk Øymo

Hølmebakk Øymo (formerly Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk Arkitektkontor) was founded in Kabelvåg in 1990 and has been based in Bislett, Oslo since 1992. Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk gained early recognition with internationally acclaimed projects such as Graden Shed and Private Library in Oslo, Summer House Nipe, and the Mortuary at Asker Chapel. In the early 2000s, he won the open competition for the Bjerkebæk Visitor Center in Lillehammer and achieved international success with Solhbergplassen Viewpoint in the Rondane Mountains. The office has been involved in Norwegian Scenic Routes since its inception. Since 2010, the office has been working on the large-scale landscape project at Vøringsfossen, which was completed in 2024.

In addition to public commissions, the office has designed several well-known housing and holiday home projects. The office's work has been widely published in both Norwegian and international architectural literature and has been featured in various exhibitions. Today, Hølmebakk and Øymo manage the office, which employs 5-6 staff members, with Carl-Viggo and Elisabeth serving as the professional and day-to-day managers, respectively.

Company Details

Name: Hølmebakk Øymo AS
Reg. no.: NO 894 936 932 MVA

Business address:
Sofies gate 70
0168 OSLO

Phone: +47 22 46 76 00
Email: post@holmebakkoymo.no

Number of employees: 5-6

Website: https://holmebakk.no

Jensen & Skodvin Architects

Jensen & Skodvin Architects was established in 1995 by Jan Olav Jensen and Børre Skodvin. The first project in the office in 1995 was the trial project along the National Tourist Road on Sognefjellet and Strynefjell in the Norwegian Mountains, a result of an invited competition. Starting with four architects in the autumn of 1995 the staff has grown to 21 architects by 2024. In 2011 Torunn Golberg, who has worked with JSA since 1995, became a partner.

The main objective of our practice is to realize ideas in the form of built work while contributing to the development of the tectonic culture of our profession. The partners have upheld a part time academic activity, including research into different tectonic fields of architecture, as well as being the founding editors of the book series asBUILT. 30 books have been published so far (by the end of 2023), each book documenting one or two buildings with a complete set of working drawings.

Company Details

Name: Jensen & Skodvin Arkitekter AS
Reg. no.: NO 927 333 244 MVA

Business address:
Sinsenveien 4D
0527 OSLO

Phone: +47 22 99 48 99
Email: office@jsa.no

Number of employees: 20

Website: https://jsa.no

2. Key Individuals

The collaboration for this proposal for a new museum at Kistefos is rooted in a professional partnership and personal friendship that spans over 40 years. Both Jan Olav Jensen and Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk will serve as key figures in the project, with the architectural design of the museum building being a central focus for each of them. Jan Olav will take a leading role in the building’s internal structure, construction, and organizational aspects, while Carl-Viggo will primarily oversee the building’s relationship with its surrounding landscape, addressing functional, aesthetic, and environmental considerations.

Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk

Download full CV (pdf)
Download Publications List (1981-2024, pdf)

Born on 3 June 1958 in Horten. Studied at the School of Architecture in Oslo 1978-84 and at The Cooper Union, New York 1984-85. Worked at the NSB architectural office 1986-88 and ran his own practice since 1990. Hølmebakk has taught at the Oslo Academy of Architecture and the Rhode Island School of Design, lectured at home and abroad and sat on several juries, in recent years he has been a diploma examiner at the Architecture and design college in Oslo. Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk has received many of the most important architecture awards in Norway and several of Hølmebakk's works have been acquired by the National Museum and the German Architecture Museum (DAM).

Jan Olav Jensen

Download full CV (pdf)

Born in 1959, graduated from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design in 1985. He has been a tenured professor of architecture at the Oslo School of Architecture since 2004. He founded Jensen & Skodvin Architects with Børre Skodvin in 1995, after a period of private practice and employment at various offices since 1985. He has worked as a teacher and on juries at several universities. He was the 1998 Kenzo Tange visiting design critic at GSD, Harvard University. He was awarded the Swedish Prince Eugen Medal in 2006 and was one of the recipients of the 1998 The Aga Khan award for architecture for the Lepers´ Hospital in India. In 2013 Jan Olav Jensen was awarded int FRIBA (RIBA's International Fellowship).

3. Reference Projects

Vøringsfossen Waterfall Area

Eidfjord, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2010-2024)

Qinglong Mountain Hotel and Residence

Hangzhou, China
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (2024, ongoing building site)

Gallery for Roni Horn

Havøysund, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (2021)

Bjerkebæk Visitors’ Centre

Lillehammer, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2006, 2019)

Water Source Protective Roof

Changbai, China
Jensen & Skodvin (2015)

Summer House Addition Gravråk

Flakstad, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2015)

New entrance building to Sognefjellshytta mountain hotel

Sognefjellet, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin (2015)

Highrise Hotel

Vals, Switzerland
Jensen & Skodvin (2014, Competition)

Summer House Storfjord

Valldal, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (2013)

Jektvik Ferry Quay Area

Rødøy, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2010)

Gudbrandsjuvet - Bridge

Norddal, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (2009)

Concrete House

Stange, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2008)

Juvet Landscape Hotel

Valldal, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin (2008)

Tautra Cistercian nuns' monastery

Trøndelag, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (2006)

Sohlbergplassen Viewpoint

Stor-Elvdal, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2005)

City Block

Trondheim, Norway
TEAM 3 (2005)

Mortuary

Asker, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (2000)

Mortensrud Church

Oslo, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (1998)

Summer House Johnsen

Risør, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (1997)

Liasanden Stop Point

Sognefjell, Norway
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (1997)

Sight Apparatus

Luster, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (1997)

Garden Shed and Workshop

Oslo, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (1995)

Private Library

Oslo, Norway
Hølmebakk Øymo (1991)

Lepers Hospital

Lasur, India
Jensen & Skodvin Architects (1985)

Contact

For inquiries, please send an email to Jan Olav Jensen:

jan.olav.jensen@jsa.no

TEAM 2 Kistefos Museum Prequalification Additional Material Profile Hølmebakk Øymo Jensen & Skodvin Key IndividualsReference Projects Contact ©2024

TEAM 2
Kistefos Museum Prequalification
Additional Material

Profile
Hølmebakk Øymo
Jensen & Skodvin
Key Individuals
Reference Projects

Contact
©2024