ABSTRACT
The row of three houses that the architects Arne Korsmo and Christian Norberg-Schulz
built for their families in Oslo in 1954 was a striking manifestation of international mod-
ernism introduced into a society that was engaged in an all-embracing reconstruction
programme after the Nazi occupation.1 It caused great debate. Rumours spread rapidly
amongst the small Oslo community of 360 architects. When Korsmo phoned the
renowned Oslo architect Frode Rinnan and invited him to visit the new houses, Rinnan
at first did not say a word. He just grumbled. Then he said that he might perhaps come
if Korsmo provided a proper chair for him to sit in. Ridicule and irony are common
expressions of response when confronted by a critical position, in this case acting in
defence of fundamental values held by the Norwegian architectural establishment.
