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Oslo, Norway
Espen Surnevik is an architect based in Oslo whose work moves between history, material, and the built landscape of contemporary Norway. Born in 1973 and raised in the rural west coast region, his upbringing was shaped by both traditional environments and the social modernism of the 1970s and ’80s—a dual influence that continues to shape his architectural language today.
His practice focuses on building projects that speak to the present while drawing from older forms of construction and local knowledge. Stone foundations, timber frameworks, and metal cladding are used not for effect, but as a way to stay close to place, weather, and use. His recent reconstruction of a centuries-old boathouse on the Norwegian coast shows this approach clearly—preserving the original footprint and stone base while introducing a new timber interior and zinc-clad superstructure shaped by contemporary needs.
What runs through Surnevik’s work is a willingness to hold opposites together: old and new, local and universal, intuitive and technical. He works with clients who are open to that process—projects where the outcome isn’t predefined, but discovered through careful, often tactile decisions along the way.
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