Gaustablikk prepares for a new era – interview with the architect Anders Koller Tufte

8360 new square meters with new rooms and luxurious suites, restaurants, a cocktail-bar, wine cellar and a pioneers lounge. The new plans for Gaustablikk are indeed grand. It probably won’t be long until you can sit on the new plaza and smell freshly baked bread.

Last October, a vision and masterplan for the area around Gaustablikk were presented, setting out plans for a new wing for the hotel, a square, a spa, and a new station at the summit of Skipsfjell. And it’s been full speed ahead over the autumn and winter. Anders Koller Tufte and his colleagues at Nordic Office of Architecture have now entered the phase of turning the vision for Gausta into reality.

The new hotel wing is the first step

– We’ve been working on the project design for the hotel and have been getting quotes from contractors so that we can estimate the cost of the project. Then we’ve been in discussions with the municipality of Tinn, regarding the permits and building permit dispensations that are required, explains Anders, who is an architect working on the new Gaustablikk.

The plan for the first phase is to construct the new wing of the hotel, which will provide a new kitchen, delivery area, and service facilities. Once built, there will be the opportunity to remodel the existing parts of the hotel.

Projects in several steps

New hotel wing to include:

• 73 new hotel rooms and three exclusive suites
• New evening area featuring a bar, pub, and activities such as pool, shuffleboard, and boules
• A new quiet lounge with a library environment
• Norway’s nicest cocktail bar overlooking Gaustatoppen

The new square:

• A new building featuring 26 apartments, nine hotel rooms, and a car park in the basement
• A bakery/café is planned for the ground floor

Renovated hotel:

• New modernised lobby
• New reception and back office
• “Secret” wine cellar with chambre séparée – Mezzanine with kids’ areas

Major investment in a new spa:

• Nature spa with gym adjacent to Kvitåvatn 
• A new larger spa is also planned