Oslo’s Frogner neighbourhood is one of the most affluent in the city, home to embassies and green spaces and some of the best restaurants in town. Here, in a 1930s red-brick building that was once the headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city’s first electric company, Norway’s largest ever preservation project is taking shape. With one foot in the past and the other planted firmly in the future, Sommerro will be home to a 100-seat theatre, a rooftop pool and restaurant and a cavernous subterranean spa in what was once the city’s public baths, when it opens later this year.
Local architectural firm LPO Architects is reimagining the original building and creating a new extension, with 231 rooms and suites and 56 branded residences that will blend original elements and contemporary touches. Original artwork by homegrown artist Per Krohg will adorn the walls of the rooms and public areas, which include Ekspedisjonshallen, an all-day dining spot in the hall where Oslo residents once paid their electricity bills; Barramon, a tapas restaurant and wine bar; and Plah, where chef Terje Ommundsen will serve elevated Thai cuisine.
Up on the roof, Tak Oslo promises Nordic-Japanese dishes devised by award-winning Swedish chef Frida Ronge, alongside a pool deck for guests and rooftop sauna. At the opposite end of the building, in the former public baths, the Vestkantbadet wellness space will house an infrared sauna, a cold plunge pool, 16 spa suites and the original Roman baths.
Up on the roof, Tak Oslo promises Nordic-Japanese dishes devised by award-winning Swedish chef Frida Ronge, alongside a pool deck for guests and rooftop sauna. At the opposite end of the building, in the former public baths, the Vestkantbadet wellness space will house an infrared sauna, a cold plunge pool, 16 spa suites and the original Roman baths. Part of Nordic Hotels & Resorts, Sommerro will also be a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts when it opens in September.