One of the largest undertakings in the health service around the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was the building of a state lunatic asylum for Northern Norway in Bodø. Following a struggle between Harstad and Bodø concerning the location, Parliament agreed to its establishment in 1894. The building works themselves began in the autumn of 1895 and the site was completed in 1902. It was designed by the architect Lars Solberg in Trondheim, following the ideas of medical director Michael Holmboe. A pavilion solution, which had become customary abroad, including in Denmark, was discussed. Holmboe concluded that the open pavilion system would not be suited to the harsh Northern Norwegian climate. A compact solution was therefore selected along the lines of the state asylums at Rotvold and Eg - buildings in a closed rectangle with a corridor system and inbuilt linking walkways.