The main section is a gable-roofed two-storey building, lengthened by two low buildings and a freestanding building for technical functions. The planning principle is that of a central corridor - where most of the work-rooms and lounges are situated on the outer side, and subsidiary functions towards the rear. There are lounges in both the northern and southern corners. On the ground floor are mostly the heavier hospital functions, such as the operations, X-ray and the wards. On the upper floor there are offices, the health station and dentist, amongst others.

Because of the permafrost, the building stands on pillars above the ground, with ramps from the traffic area to the entrances. The load-bearing constructions are of concrete

the outer walls and roof are of timber. The hospital was designed by A3 Arkitektkontor AS (Harstad &

Finnsnes). In the architect's presentation of the building, special emphasis was laid on building in an Arctic area, and the fact that permafrost, strong winds and snowdrifts would require special solutions.

The Longyearbyen Hospital dating from 1991 is the final development phase in what is, from a healthcare perspective, historically complex and interesting activity on Svalbard. The building complex is a compact model of the health service placed in an Arctic context, and with a post-modernist shape inspired by the surroundings. The hospital is typical of its time in architectural terms and characteristic as a health institutional building as a result of the breadth and complexity of its function.