What Planforum Arkitekter AS does

Planforum Arkitekter AS, since 2025 operating as Vari Arkitektur AS, is a Norwegian private architectural firm founded in 1995 by Johan Nyquist and headquartered in Sandvika (Bærum), approximately 15 minutes west of Oslo. The firm specializes in public-sector architecture for Norwegian municipalities and county councils, with primary verticals in education (schools, kindergartens, sports halls), healthcare/care (nursing homes, dementia villages, emergency clinics), and ancillary services in residential, planning/regulation, heritage conservation, and feasibility studies. All projects are designed in 3D/BIM from inception, with OpenBIM interdisciplinary collaboration across major commissions and BIM coordinator capability for smaller projects.

The firm employs approximately 10 staff, of which 8 are experienced certified architects (Siv. Arkitekt / Arkitekt MNAL), led by Managing Director Ingeborg Lieth Årøe, Technical Director Jeppe Styrmoe, and Partner Marcus Runesson, with Helge Lunde as Board Chair. The firm holds sentral godkjenning (central approval) for applicant function and architectural planning in tiltaksklasse 3, is Miljøfyrtårn (Eco-Lighthouse) certified since 2018, and is a member of Arkitektbedriftene (NPA) operating the MAKS quality system.

The business model is professional services on a project-fee basis, delivered exclusively through Norwegian public procurement: design competitions (including samspillskonkurranser), framework agreements, and direct commissions with public building owners such as Oslobygg KF, Undervisningsbygg Oslo KF, Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommune, and various municipalities. The firm is a partner in the Nasjonal Kunnskapsarena for Ombruk i Byggebransjen, signaling a strategic focus on circular construction and material reuse. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Planforum Arkitekter AS

Legal name

Planforum Arkitekter AS

Website

https://planforum.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Planforum Arkitekter AS (now Vari Arkitektur AS) is a Norwegian architecture firm founded in 1995, specializing in public-sector buildings — schools, nursing homes, and sports facilities — for Norwegian municipalities and county councils using 3D/BIM design methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandvika (Bærum)

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based fees for architectural design services, including feasibility studies, design competitions, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Revenue is generated through public procurement, direct commissions, and architectural competition prizes. The firm operates exclusively as a professional services firm for Norwegian public building owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vari Arkitektur (formerly Planforum Arkitekter AS) is a Norwegian architecture firm that delivers architectural design services for public sector building projects, including schools, nursing homes and care facilities, sports halls, residential developments, planning and regulation services, heritage conservation, and feasibility studies. The firm works primarily for Norwegian municipalities, county councils, and public building owners (such as Oslobygg KF and Undervisningsbygg Oslo KF), executing projects end-to-end from feasibility and competition phases through schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. All projects are designed in 3D from inception using BIM (Building Information Modeling), with interdisciplinary collaboration under OpenBIM principles.

Product overview

Vari Arkitektur (formerly Planforum Arkitekter AS) is an architectural firm specializing in public sector projects. The firm operates as a service-based practice offering integrated architectural services rather than a software product company. Their core offerings span school and education buildings, healthcare and care facilities, sports halls, residential developments, planning and regulation services, heritage conservation, and commercial buildings. The firm uses 3D design and BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodologies and collaborates tverrfaglig (cross-disciplinary) according to OpenBIM principles. Founded in 1995, the company employs approximately 10-11 staff and has completed numerous projects across Norway, with special expertise in schools, care homes, and sports buildings. The firm underwent a rebranding to Vari Arkitektur in 2025 to better reflect the firm's values of durability ('varig') and variation ('variasjon').

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School & Education Buildings (Skole & Oppvekst)

Quantifiable outcome

• Evje barneskole awarded Tilgjengelighetsprisen (Accessibility Prize) for Asker & Bærum in 2011
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nasjonal Kunnskapsarena for Ombruk i Byggebransjen (National Knowledge Arena for Reuse in the Construction Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Planforum Arkitekter became a partner in the National Knowledge Arena for Circular Reuse in the Construction Industry in February 2022. The arena is led by Sirkulær Ressurssentral and has grown from a handful of enthusiasts on Zoom to a network of approximately 1,500 construction professionals from across Norway, with over 30 industry partners financing and driving the digital knowledge arena. The partnership enables sharing and developing knowledge and experiences on circular material reuse in construction projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• COWI: Large Nordic engineering and architecture consultancy; competes for larger public-sector infrastructure and building commissions in Norway as part of a much broader service portfolio.
• Snøhetta: Major international Norwegian architecture firm; overlaps on public and cultural commissions but at a fundamentally larger scale and broader portfolio than a 10-person specialist.
• Nordic Office of Architecture: Larger Norwegian-headquartered architecture firm with broader geographic reach and a wider portfolio; competes for the same public-sector commissions but at greater scale.
• Sweco Norge: Large Nordic engineering/architecture consultancy active in Norwegian public-sector building and planning projects; comparable client base but very different scale and service breadth.
• Aas-Jakobsen: Norwegian consultancy combining architecture and engineering; overlaps with Vari on public-sector building design but offers a multi-discipline delivery model.

Direct peers

• DARK Arkitekter: Norwegian architecture firm working on public and cultural buildings of comparable scale; similar B2G go-to-market and project-based competition-driven acquisition model.
• HLM Arkitektur: Norwegian architecture practice with a strong focus on healthcare, care, and public-sector buildings — directly comparable in vertical specialization, project type, and Norwegian public-sector client base.
• Link Arkitektur: Norwegian-headquartered architecture practice with deep public-sector portfolio (schools, healthcare, cultural buildings); comparable project typology and public-tender acquisition model.
• Ratio Arkitekter: Norwegian architecture firm engaged in public-sector commissions including schools, housing, and urban planning — closely comparable in project typology and client segments.

Regional players

• Arkitema: Danish/Nordic architecture firm serving Scandinavian public-sector clients with comparable building typologies (education, healthcare, housing); not domestic Norwegian but operates in adjacent geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PlanforumArkitekt
• Instagraminstagram.com/vari_arkitektur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planforum-arkitekter-as

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Planforum Arkitekter AS