Architecture and Design

Want an exciting year where you can explore architecture and design at its finest?

A year of design, drawing, and model building, inspired by the works of some of the world’s best architects and designers.
Study trip to Japan!

Course content

You’ll learn about different project phases, like visualizing and communicating your ideas through freehand drawing, 3D software, and models in various materials. Your ideas will be challenged, and you’ll develop your imagination and creativity.

The teaching

In Architecture and Design, you’ll learn to create buildings for specific target groups through idea development and research. You’ll experience how much you can influence and change a space using light, colors, function, and more. We draw inspiration from international trends and explore challenges while uncovering needs and opportunities related to specific tasks.

We’ll work on idea development through sketches and sketch models, using pencil and paper, simple cardboard models, wooden models, or clay forms. You’ll also learn to shape your ideas on a computer using 3D drawing software. Throughout the process, you’ll receive the guidance needed to work with various techniques and gain knowledge about different materials.

We conclude all assignments with a group review where we go through sketches and models, both analog and digital, visualizing and explaining our processes and proposed solutions. You’ll present your thoughts and ideas for your results and receive thorough feedback. We also create many exhibitions throughout the year where the class showcases their projects to the rest of the school.

Throughout the year, you’ll receive targeted instruction from skilled teachers and guest lecturers in architecture and design. We’ve collaborated with star architect Todd Saunders, who is world-renowned for his architecture, had workshops with Atelier Particular architectural firm, and projects in collaboration with architects Håvard Fadnes and Rolf Magne Bjørnevik.

Equipment and Facilities

The Architecture and Design program has its own workshop and workspace that you can use daily. Here you have your own workstation for sketching and building models, with plenty of shelf space to store your work.

We have a ceramics workshop that’s frequently used to create beautiful clay products.

If you want to work on your projects beyond class hours, the classrooms are open until 11 PM.

We have our own 3D printer in the workshop.

We have all the tools and materials you need for our work.

You must bring your own PC with good storage capacity.

Study trip: Japan

The spring semester study trip goes to Japan, a truly special country where exciting developments are happening in technology and product design. We visit several recent architectural projects, both in central Tokyo and the region. Previously, we’ve visited the renowned Japanese architectural firm Kengo Kuma Associates, who designed the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. In Kyoto, we experience traditional architecture; temples, old wooden houses, and beautiful Japanese gardens. We take the bullet train to Tokyo – and if we’re lucky, the study trip coincides with the amazing cherry blossom season!

Suggested day-by-day program:

Day 1: Fly from Bergen to Osaka
Day 2: Arrival in Osaka. Train to Kyoto
Day 3: Visit historical temples and Japanese gardens in Kyoto
Day 4: Workshop/Free exploration in Kyoto
Day 5: Take the Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima
Day 6: Free exploration in Hiroshima
Day 7: Take train and ferry to Naoshima. Art museums designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando
Day 8: Rent bikes/Experience Naoshima
Day 9: Take ferry and bullet train to Tokyo
Day 10: Company visit
Day 11: Free exploration in Tokyo
Day 12: Departure from Tokyo

Program Teacher Ingunn Halland

Ingunn is one of the teachers in Architecture and Design. She has a master’s in industrial design from the Aarhus School of Architecture and has designed for renowned firms in architecture and product design. Products designed by Ingunn have achieved wide recognition and use both nationally and internationally, winning several international design competitions. Her greatest wish for students in the program is for them to experience the joy of creation and gain increased confidence in creative processes. Ingunn is happiest outdoors and always keeps her hiking boots in the car in case an opportunity for a mountain hike arises.

Guest Lecturers

The year will offer instruction from skilled teachers and inspiring guest instructors.

Håvard Fadnes lives in and grew up in Bergen. He has studied in Trondheim, England, and Bergen; in Trondheim he studied language and graphic design, and completed a bachelor’s degree in graphic design in England.

When he returned to Bergen, he began architectural studies at Bergen School of Architecture, graduating in 2019. Afterward, he continued as a teaching assistant for third-year students at the school for 2 years, and today works full-time as an architect at CFA Architects.

Lena Margrethe Hoen Berge is an architect educated at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. In 2020, she started the architectural practice Atelier Particular with Karsten Lunde, where they work with small-scale architecture in transformation, installation, and communication. In 2021, Atelier Particular was part of Oslo Architects Association’s New Voices. In 2023, Atelier Particular exhibited three drawings in the Hand and Machine exhibition at the National Museum. She is also involved in the Oslo Architects Association, where she serves as the association’s coordinator.

Karsten Lunde is an architect and dancer, educated at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and HFDK. In 2020, he started the architectural practice Atelier Particular with Lena Margrethe Hoen Berge, where they work with small-scale architecture in transformation, installation, and communication. In his dance practice, he works with creative dance, based on improvisation, focusing on themes such as perception, the relationship between body and space, and performance in public spaces. In 2021, Atelier Particular was part of Oslo Architects Association’s New Voices. In 2023, Atelier Particular exhibited three drawings in the Hand and Machine exhibition at the National Museum.

This is what the students say

The year at Åsane Folk High School gave me the opportunity to explore my interest in architecture and confirm that this is the right path for me. I received close guidance and support in working on entrance exams and applications, which made me more confident in my future choices.

Throughout the year, I met many wonderful people and made friends and connections that I greatly value. At the same time, I was able to develop professionally through exciting and varied projects in architecture and design.

Now I’m studying at Bergen School of Architecture, and I notice how valuable the experiences from Åsane Folk High School have been. That year gave me both professional insight and personal growth, and I wouldn’t have wanted to be without it.

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My year at Åsane folkehøgskole was filled with long and meaningful conversations with close friends, educational classes, beautiful nature experiences, and, not least, memorable trips. On the Architecture and Design course, I was given exciting challenges and a solid foundation to begin further architectural studies. I wouldn’t have gotten into my dream program (Bergen School of Architecture) if it hadn’t been for the excellent help I received in Architecture and Design. My year at Åsane folkehøgskole has taught me a lot about friendship, adulthood, and the importance of playfulness in everyday life, which I will carry with me throughout my life.

Architecture and Design has definitely been a great preparation for further studies — and for life in general — while also being a really pleasant break from everything. Only now, after starting my Architecture studies at NTNU in Trondheim, do I truly realize what a huge advantage everything I learned at Åsane has given me. I’ve really been able to make good use of the experience I gained in model building, graphic design with Photoshop, InDesign, and a bit of Rhino, plus getting to use a flamethrower (which was absolutely awesome!) Not only the Architecture and Design program, but the entire Åsane Folk High School offered unforgettable experiences, knowledgeable and incredibly cool teachers, and fantastic friends. But if I had to choose one number-one memory from the school year, it would definitely be the study trip to Japan! That trip alone almost made the whole year worth it — and then some 😉

Whether you’re like me and have wanted to become an architect since kindergarten, or you’re not really sure what you want to do next, Architecture and Design is a fantastic opportunity to find out whether architecture or design is something you’re truly interested in or not. It’s a great break from grades and homework, a wonderful reality check for what your future life might look like, and, last but not least, an amazing source of knowledge and great memories! I will always say it was worth it, and I’m forever grateful that I got the chance to experience it.

My year at Åsane Folk High School was a turning point for me! Not only did I make lifelong friends, but I got to explore architecture in a creative and free way without pressure, just curiosity and enthusiasm! Now I’m studying architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. During the application process, I received incredible help from my teacher and the school! Something I’m enormously grateful for, because now I’m attending my dream school!

I had a really great time during my year at Åsane. It was incredibly nice to be able to learn and explore completely without stress and pressure.

With feedback and follow-up from teachers and fellow students, I got the opportunity to develop my skills in drawing, model building, creative thinking, and work processes. This is knowledge I’ve now taken with me into my studies at AHO, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

The architecture and design program is for you who want to develop and challenge yourself within the field of architecture and design.

I was personally especially interested in architecture, and had ambitions to improve my skills leading up to the entrance exams in the spring. I received good guidance and my goals were taken into account and accommodated throughout the year.

My year at Åsane, in the architecture and design program, was an incredibly enriching experience that has shaped both my academic and personal growth. It was a year filled with creative expression, learning, and new friendships with people who shared the same interests as me. I experienced a strong sense of belonging in such a creative community.

While we learned a lot academically, the year was also about personal development. The folk high school year gave me the freedom to experiment with different ideas and approaches without fear of making mistakes. It was a safe space to explore my own creativity and the possibilities of architecture. This has undoubtedly better prepared me for my studies at Bergen School of Architecture, where I’m currently studying.

I am taking both the academic knowledge and friendships with me. The year at Åsane was an important preparation for further studies, but also a year that shaped me as a person and gave me the confidence to continue on my path in architecture.

The year I spent studying Architecture and Design at Åsane Folk High School is something I will always be grateful for. On this course, I had a daily life where I learned a lot while being around great people with similar interests to me. At Åsane, you become part of a safe environment where you have the freedom to explore, but also the help to develop skills that will be useful if you continue with creative subjects. For me, this folk high school year meant, among other things, that I gained better self-confidence and became more motivated to pursue architecture and design further.

Hi, my name is Eline, and I study architecture at NTNU. I think my year at Åsane was a fantastic opportunity to explore architecture as a subject, while also developing as a person and having a pleasant gap year. Åsane is full of dedicated teachers who see you every day and do their best to help you, whether it’s a school assignment or something more personal. The class trip to Japan was a real highlight where you get to experience a new and exciting culture and impressions. The school also gives you great opportunities to get to know BAS and KMD. I recommend the Architecture and Design program to anyone who is a little curious about architecture or design, or if you just like drawing/art.

My year at Åsane Folk High School gave me tremendous freedom for creative development. There was great variety in the assignments, with introductions to different techniques and digital tools. I received excellent support and guidance when I applied and took entrance exams for various design and architecture schools. I would recommend a year of Architecture and Design at Åsane to anyone who is curious and wants a taste of what design and architecture studies have to offer.

During my year in architecture and design, I was able to work and explore new materials and techniques. With good guidance and a good learning environment, I was able to express myself creatively. The program was also structured so that we could work on entrance exams, which was a great help.

Apply for a place at school now

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and processed in the order they are received. It is always a good idea to be early.

In addition to completing a regular school application, it would be good if you could write about your motivation for joining the program. If you have done work in art, design, or architecture, you’re welcome to include pictures showing things you’ve worked on. This could be images of drawings, cardboard models, or similar items.