The governor's administration building on Svalbard was designed by Einar Jarmund (b. 1962) and Håkon Vigsnæs (b. 1962). It was completed in 1998. The building is located approximately 400 metres above the sea, and has a view overlooking the Advent Fjord towards the northeast, the Is Fjord towards the west and the Longyear Valley towards the east. Located nearby is the governor's estate built in 1950 - together they comprise the governor's headquarters.

The headquarters was build upon the foundations of the previous structure, which was destroyed by fire in 1995. L-shaped in form, the headquarters forms the northern and western sides of a rectangular courtyard. It consists of two main volumes that are rectangular in form. A central building is located at their meeting point. This portion of the complex is multifaceted, but is more or less in the form of a slanted rectangle, partially absorbed by the main volumes. Characteristically the headquarters has a sculptural quality

there is an unclear division between the walls and the roof. This is achieved through sloping walls that are clad with zinc sheeting. The north-side of the building is protected with grey timber screens

this adds to the sculptural quality of the building. The screens are composed of thin pieces of wood and are supported by steel components.

1998

Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter MNAL

Statsbygg (The Directorate of Public Construction and Property)

Office

Cast-in-place concrete

glass

zinc sheeting

administration building

L-shape

zinc sheeting

steel construction

wood lamellas

rectangular courtyard

Almaas, Ingerid Helsing: Norway a Guide to Recent Architecture, London 2002

Arkitektur i Norge årbok 1998, p. 41

Byggekunst 6/1998 pp. 48-53

Risåsen, Geir Thomas: Staten bygger, Oslo 2003, pp. 56-59

Skogvang, Hege: Sysselmannsanleggene i Longyearbyen på Svalbard - om arkitektur som suverenitetsmarkør, Tromsø 2004