How a complete worker village in Hammerfest was delivered in 15 weeks

When a customer within the energy sector prepared for a planned shutdown at Melkøya, an island just outside Hammerfest in northern Norway, the timeline was already fixed. Hundreds of workers would need somewhere to stay, and the accommodation had to be ready in time for an extensive maintenance and modification shutdown of one of their facilities.  

Stord Innkvartering, part of Adapteo Group, and project partners, helped establish a temporary worker accommodation with capacity for 423 people. The delivery included residential modules, a canteen for up to 1,000 people, an amenity building, and a gatehouse, all tailored to the customer’s requirements. 

In total, the project covered almost 400 modules and 10,000 square metres of building mass. From the start of installation to move-in ready, the solution was completed in 15 weeks. 

A fixed deadline in a demanding location 

Stord innkvartering became involved in spring 2024, and at that stage, several important details were yet to be resolved. The final site had not been approved, the full scope was still being clarified, and the ground conditions would turn out to be more complicated than expected. 

The one thing that was fixed was the handover date. 

That made the project time-critical from the beginning. A shutdown at Melkøya is planned in detail long before work begins, with resources, schedules, and activities all depending on each other. Not having the accommodation ready on time could have created significant consequences for the customer. 

The handover date was fixed from the start. Several things were still unresolved, but there was no room for delays.
 — Rune Fylkesnes, Project Manager at Stord Norway 

Hammerfest, one of the world’s northernmost towns, brought its own set of challenges. Located far north on Norway’s Arctic coast, it meant very long transport routes, few nearby resources and a very small margin for delays once materials and modules started moving. Then winter added deep snow, wind, cold and long periods of darkness. 

The site itself was a challenge, too. Large parts of the ground consisted of contaminated masses, which had to be removed and replaced before installation could start. Infrastructure also had to be solved along the way, including the power supply, which required new transformers and changes to the existing setup in the area. 

Logistics before installation 

The original plan was to start in early November 2024 and have four accommodation buildings installed before Christmas. Instead, approval processes and challenging ground conditions delayed the start by around eight weeks. 

Since the location was far north and the installation window was very tight, Stord had planned for a fast delivery by preparing a lot before the site was ready. For example, five accommodation buildings were transported by boat in autumn 2024 and stored at the quay in Rypefjord. Foundation materials were also ordered in advance and stored in Tromsø, while local suppliers were brought in for equipment, storage halls, quay access and other practical needs. 

By moving modules north early and having materials ready, we could act quickly once the site became available.
— Rune Fylkesnes, Project Manager at Stord Norway 

So when installation finally began on 2 January 2025, the team could focus on building, rather than waiting for modules, materials, or supplier agreements to fall into place. 

Keeping the project moving day by day 

Once installation started, the project needed constant coordination. For the customer, the important thing was that the accommodation would be ready on time. The day-to-day problem-solving around logistics, infrastructure, temporary solutions and site coordination was Stord’s job to manage together with the project partners. The challenges along the way were ours to handle, not the customer’s.  

The site was busy from day one. Several contractors were working in parallel, and at one point, seven excavators were operating on site at the same time. Infrastructure plans had to be adjusted more than once before the team landed on a solution that worked in practice. 

The power supply became one of the trickiest parts of the project. Three new transformers had to be built, and the area’s main transformer had to be replaced. To make things even tighter, the existing main transformer stayed in place until just one month before handover, right where the final accommodation building was due to be installed. 

The team had to use temporary power and heating solutions to keep work moving. Plans were adjusted from one day to the next, supported by daily meetings with the customer, contractors, and suppliers. 

We had to be ready to change the plan from day to day. With the weather, the infrastructure and the activity on site, close coordination was essential.”
— Rune Fylkesnes, Project Manager at Stord Norway 

The cooperation with AF Gruppen, the contractor on site, became especially important. With so many activities happening at once, practical problem-solving, quick decisions, and clear communication between everyone involved were essential to maintaining progress. 

For Rune Fylkesnes, that mindset was central to the delivery: 

This is the most challenging project I have worked on, but also one of the most exciting. It shows what can be achieved through close cooperation and skilled partners.
 — Rune Fylkesnes, Project Manager at Stord Norway 

A complete village where people could recover 

The final solution was designed as a complete temporary village for the shutdown period, with everything needed to support daily life on site. Stord delivered individual bedrooms with private bathrooms for more than 400 people, together with a restaurant building where breakfast, lunch and dinner could be served every day. The village also included changing rooms, a fully equipped gym, and recreation areas with space for games, TV and time together after work. 

As is often the case, Stord’s role covered more than the delivery of modules. The team was involved in planning, the building application process, infrastructure planning and discussions around groundworks. Stord also took responsibility for module transport, installation and service once the keys had been handed over. 

The solution needed to tick all of the customer’s boxes, including quality requirements beyond the standard product. That meant close dialogue with the customer was important from the very beginning – both before construction started and all the way through the on-site work. 

Ready in 15 weeks 

The original installation period had been planned at 23 weeks. When the project start was delayed by eight weeks, the handover date still did not move. But by planning logistics early, moving modules close to the site in advance, having materials ready and working closely with the customer, AF Gruppen and local suppliers throughout the process, Stord and its partners were able to complete the village in just 15 weeks. And to top it off, the project was completed with no registered personal injuries, proving that fast delivery and strong safety performance can go hand in hand.  

For the customer, this meant the planned shutdown at Melkøya could go ahead as scheduled. The accommodation was ready when it was needed, giving the workforce a place to stay and removing a major source of uncertainty from the project. 

It also meant that employees and contractors had a comfortable place to live while the work was carried out. With private rooms, three meals per day, changing rooms, gym facilities and recreation areas, the village helped make everyday life away from home easier. 

A lot of the complexity around logistics, establishment and installation was handled by Stord and the project partners, helping make the process smoother for the customer. 

“What the customer appreciated most was that we worked closely together, kept looking for solutions and delivered what we had promised.”
— Rune Fylkesnes, Project Manager at Stord Norway 

In Hammerfest, there was very little room for delay. The site was demanding, the weather was tough and the deadline was fixed. With careful preparation and close coordination on site, the solution was completed and ready to support the planned shutdown at Melkøya.