Bergen Børs: Q&A with Claesson Koivisto Rune

Located right by the Torgalmenningen (the main city square in Bergen), the stock exchange cuts an impressive figure, clad in red clay tile and soapstone. When the bank decided to move its head office, De Bergenske’s Kjetil Smørås knew it would be an excellent spot for a hotel and swooped in with plans to offer this unique building a new chapter in its history. 

Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design maximises the bank’s former glory while adding the air of a sartorial gent by complementing century’s old wooden panelling and original chandeliers with a tactile palette of leather and marble. “It’s a hotel where you can withdraw from the city and relax in a well-designed interior that feels like a club,” says Kjetil Smørås. Eero Koivisto, one of three founders of Claesson Koivisto Rune, adds, “We wanted the hotel to have a kind of ‘bank’ feeling – reliable, trustworthy, and not trendy.” 

The project offered a very different challenge to Claesson Koivisto Rune’s previous projects for De Bergenske, new-build Zander K and boutique restoration Villa Terminus. Bergen Børs is spread across three buildings from three very different eras meaning Claesson Koivisto Rune had to seamlessly blend old and new to create a consistent feel. Given the building’s history, there’s some exciting spaces to be found inside. Rooms like the stock exchange manager’s office, which even features the original safe and soundproofed doors, have been transformed into elegant suites and the former Chamber of Commerce (a well-kept secret that was open for only privileged few) has now been opened to the public as a bar.

Following the opening this month, we caught up with Eero Koivisto, one of three founders of Claesson Koivisto Rune, to discuss Bergen Børs' fascinating history and how this project differs from the two previous projects.

A classic upscale hotel with a modern contemporary feel to it.

Certain parts of the project had beautiful original woodwork or other fine craftsmanship, for example handmade lamps, beautiful cast windows, or elaborate metal work. Everything new has to be able to co-exist with this. Therefore our design contribution has a certain neutral modernity attached to it. We also like the fact that it’s difficult for a guest to tell when the hotel was designed. We wanted the new hotel to have a unified look and feel. For a guest it should feel seamless, like you’re staying in one hotel. Not an “old” or a “new” room.

They differed  lot – it’s a totally different project. Zander K is a contemporary new-build modern hotel. Villa Terminus is a careful restoration of a listed 250-year-old building into a small boutique hotel. Bergen Børs is a luxury hotel situated in three different connected buildings, from three different eras. Where a guest should feel at home regardless of which room they stay in.

As many as possible. And when not possible, we removed it, saved what could be saved, and installed it somewhere else in the project.

We wanted the hotel to feel luxurious, and true luxury is always modest. So we have tried to keep a restricted palette in both colour and materials – to make the hotel feel luxurious, but with a somewhat discreet atmosphere.

Corner room Nr. 601 where you can see the roof spires of the adjacent building just outside the window. But actually, we like all of the rooms. One of the charms of this hotel – and difficulties of the project – is that there’s so many different kinds of rooms. Big rooms, old rooms, new rooms, two-level rooms, historical rooms, and so on. 

We were looking for things that were somewhat non-changing and non-trendy. And to somehow inject a feeling of that into the project. That led us to the world of men’s tailoring, where aesthetic values are somewhat constant, and a certain distance to trendiness is preferred. All that would feel very at home in a classic up-scale hotel.