In the original design, only a couple of rooms were located beneath the "hovering" roof. However, shortly after the building was constructed, the open area beneath the roof, due to practical reasons, was enclosed and used for office purposes. Today it appears like a recessed storey.

Large, massive buildings that rested on columns (pilotis) were an important feature of Functionalism. In southern latitudes, the ground floor was often open, allowing the natural terrain to proceed underneath the building, seemingly undisturbed by the building project. Yet in Tromsø's cold and snowy climate this was difficult to rationalise, both aesthetically and functionally. This also applied to the idea of a "hovering" roof.