The site was built using solid materials - a foundation wall of granite and brick walls that were covered with marble from Fauske. This was one of the first sites in Norway where råkopp (coarsely-hewn rubble) was used as façade material, a material that would be used extensively in Jugendstil architecture in the Nordic countries. Apart from corners and surrounds in squared-off marble, almost all traditional architectural décor is omitted from the exterior, so that it is the proportions and use of the façade stone that give the building its character. The preliminary project designs, on the other hand, show a site in a German-inspired neo-Gothic style, with redbrick stone and Swiss-style details, for example in the ridge comb and gable decoration. The architect, Solberg, received his training in Germany, where he had also worked for four years. At the time of the building process, however, Jugendstil had become the new thing, and the building's use of material and details was inspired by this - but applied to the body of a symmetric and classically-inspired building.