Tora Elise Brunvatne spoke about the intention behind the new library and its wide range of activities.
A group of 20 High School students from California are in Norway to study how Norwegian society implements sustainable solutions.
The 18-year-olds from Sage Hill School in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles, has Lillestrøm as one of their destinations during their visit to Norway.
In the cultural quarter, they received a tour with research librarian Tora Elise Brunvatne, who spoke about the wide range of services offered to the public in Lillestrøm's new community hub.
Social sustainability
Some of the most enthusiastic users of Lillestrøm Library are young people and students. Large parts of the second and third floors are specifically designed for them.
The American teenagers liked what they saw: "We don't have access to anything like this back home," they said.
Green building
The building itself incorporates a number of green solutions and is certified as BREEAM-NOR Excellent for its high environmental standard in energy efficiency and indoor climate.
Material choices consider energy and climate emissions. It features green roofs with a kitchen garden that manages stormwater, and solar cells that power the ventilation system. The building uses emission free, locally sourced district heating and cooling.
Met a young entrepreneur
At Kunnskapsbyen, the American youths met entrepreneur Eivind Bergsløkken from the marketing agency Motion. He immediately captured their full attention as he shared how he came up with this business idea during his own studies in California.
– I found that American companies had much stronger marketing and active relationship building than Norwegian companies, he said.
Over the last three years, Motion has built its own concept and a strong team that helps businesses become more visible.
Screen Printing at Nitja
At Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art, the student group was welcomed by artist and graphic designer Joakim Thorendal. He specializes in screen printing and invited the American youths to a workshop.
Here they were given a demonstration of the printing technique before they got to apply a unique print to their own T-shirt, featuring the text «Sage Hill School – Norway 2026».
