What do medical and modern architecture have in common? In this exhibition, artist Espen Gleditsch goes in search of the origins of modern healthcare architecture, from the forests of Finland to the Swiss Alps. This is the first time that Villa Stenersen has been integrated in a specially conceived artistic context, in which the house itself features as an essential element of the exhibition.
Before the widespread introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, fresh air in rural surroundings, sunlight and rest in what were known as sanatoria were crucial in the treatment of tuberculosis. Consequently, sanatoria were among the first institutions to be designed with bright, airy interiors, and were often located in mountainous areas or on the coast.
Designed by architect Arne Korsmo in 1937, Villa Stenersen sits on a knoll in the quiet suburb of Vinderen in Oslo. Just a few years before designing the house, Korsmo himself suffered a serious attack of tuberculosis.
Korsmo’s design for the Villa Stenersen has a number of features in common with sanatoria: open floor plans, large plate-glass windows that let in plenty of daylight, smooth transitions between indoor and outdoor areas, hygienic surfaces such as ceramic tiles and steel pipes, and easy access to balconies and gardens.
Villa Stenersen’s open-plan design, visible structural elements and large glass facades that allow the house to interact with the surrounding nature still attract attention and visitors from around the world. Today it is considered a seminal work of modern Norwegian residential architecture.
Project Manager: Hans Eindride Thorsen
Curator: Joakim Skaaja
Curator Education: Gudrun Eidsvik
Press Contact: Marit Andersen
