Sundt varemagasin, Department store and heritage site at Torgallmenningen, Bergen, Norway.
Sundt varemagasin is a six-story department store with concrete and glass exterior walls and a slender tower topped with a lamp at its peak. Horizontal windows and spacious corridors define the functionalist design throughout the building.
The original retail business started in 1845 and later transformed into the modern functionalist structure completed in 1938 under architect Per Grieg. This new building marked a turning point for Bergen's shopping district.
The building displays functionalist principles in how it organizes retail spaces and interior layouts that shoppers still navigate today. You can see the thoughtful arrangement of floors designed to guide customers naturally through the store.
The building sits on a central square in the old town and is easily reached on foot with wheelchair access throughout the building. The spacious interior design with wide stairs and elevators makes moving between floors comfortable for everyone.
When this building opened in 1938, the escalator was a sensation and ranked among the first mechanical moving stairs in Norway. This technical innovation made shopping a completely new experience for many people.
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