Ove Bang

Ove Bang was born in Røyken, Buskerud County, Norway in 1895. He was the son of a parish priest. He studied architecture at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim and graduated in 1917. He started his career as an assistant to Magnus Poulsson, a prominent architect in Oslo. He later worked for Norsk Hydro in Rjukan, where he designed several buildings for the company. He moved his practice to Oslo in 1930 and became one of the leading proponents of functionalism in Norway. He was influenced by international modernist architects such as Le Corbusier and Jan Reiner, whom he collaborated with in the mid-1930s. He also participated in several architectural competitions with his partner Øyvin Holst Grimsgaard and won several awards. Some of his most notable works include the Community Building for the Labor Movement (Samfunnshuset), the Norwegian Lutheran Inner Mission Society Building (Indremisjonsselskapets Hus), and the Oslo Courthouse (Oslo Tinghus). He also designed several residential buildings and churches in a functionalist style. He died in 1942 at the age of 46, leaving behind some unfinished projects that were completed by his colleague Erling Viksjø. He is buried at Vestre Gravlund in Oslo. He is widely regarded as one of the most important architects in Norwegian history and a pioneer of modern architecture in the country.