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| Post-war Norway: Lightweight, insulated timber housing developed by Norwegian building researchers came to dominate small housebuilding in Norway. Photo: SINTEF Building Research |
The series of publications from the Norwegian Building Research Institute (now SINTEF Building Research) is still alive and well today. On its 50th anniversary, the construction industry's trade magazine Building industry wrote:
"The Building Detail Design Guides from SINTEF Building Research have been an important means of promoting good architecture in Norway for 50 years."
National knowledge base
The Building Research series of Design Guides has become a national knowledge base for the construction industry. The publishers noted as early as 1959 that the series had been exceptionally well received. After only six months it had attracted 1,600 subscriptions; after a year there were 2 100, and the number continued to rise.
The online quality standard currently comprises more than 700 instruction leaflets that offer solutions and recommendations for building design, construction and management.
Quality norm
The instructions meet the functional requirements for technical regulations of the Planning and Building Act (TEK). They are a quality standard for the industry and a key means of ensuring that Norwegian buildings are built in accordance with the regulations.
The regulations in turn often refer to the Design Guide series. SINTEF strives continuously to ensure that the series is used by all members of the Norwegian building industry.
