Sealing the deal, under Glamox lights

The National Mediator of Norway works to solve high-level disputes related to wage negotiations and collective agreements. As such, it frequently brings together representatives from unions and businesses to hash out last-minute deals that directly affect the Norwegian labour market.

After moving into a new office space in Oslo, these tough negotiations will hereafter take place under Glamox-provided luminaires.

“We all know that the wage negotiations that take place in these rooms influence the wages of almost all Norwegians. Since high-stakes negotiations can drag out, causing various parties to work around the clock to seal a deal, it’s vital to have the right lighting conditions to get the job done,” says Toril Bache Jenssen, Sales Director at Glamox, Norway.

The other tenant, the Labour Court of Norway, is a specialist court that considers disputes between parties to collective agreements concerning the existence, interpretation and validity of collective agreements. To meet the needs of the court, the architectural firm IARK, which led the refurbishment, custom-designed a courtroom with an adjoining judge’s quarters, considering functionality, acoustics, and video use.

Both offices had a selection of high-quality vintage Norwegian furniture from the 1960s, which was reintegrated into the new office space.

“High-quality, durable materials with a distinctive Scandinavian design language were seamlessly integrated into the overall furniture concept, contributing an added dimension and narrative quality to the space—one that would not have existed otherwise,” says Åsa Forsberg, Interior Architect at IARK.  

The two office spaces are located on different floors in Backegården in Oslo, yet closely connected through a shared entrance area, reception, social zone, and a newly constructed internal staircase. Developing the lighting concept posed challenges due to the open ceiling structure. Given a low ceiling height, a carefully tailored lighting strategy was required to balance functionality and visual coherence. To find the optimal solution, Glamox invited contractor Statsbygg and the architect to review some of the lighting Glamox had selected for its own offices in Oslo.

“We had a feeling that some of the lighting in our own office would be a good fit for this project, and this ended up being the case. The visit to our office inspired the idea of using slim Glamox C80 linear luminaires to craft squares and rectangles above the various meeting tables. That lighting ultimately gave the negotiation rooms an elegant and distinctive look,” says Bache Jenssen.

In the end, the lighting enhanced the perceived quality and spatial experience of the large meeting rooms.

Photo credit: Niklas Hart