DRMA This transformed forklift garage is small in scale but large in urban consequence. Based on a community-driven and bottom-up process, residents, children, planners, and politicians all participated in its design, allowing the building to function as a civic platform. Its form is the archetypal Norwegian house with gabled roof and chimney―simple and so intuitive that even children can draw it without instruction.
By exhibiting this small architecture at 1:1 scale, the project emphasizes its precision, presence, and democratic potential, reminding us that in a context often dominated by large urban projects, the smallest building can hold the largest conversations.
In the transformation process, the facade was defined less by ornamental qualities and more by its capacity to perform and adapt. Rotten wooden panels were replaced, the entire surface was repainted in a historical color, and a custom-designed pivoting garage door was introduced. With minimal intervention, the old garage’s closed and weathered skin was transformed into a facade that alternates between a quiet, sheltered presence and a transparent, open condition.
This small change turned a simple garage into a civic platform capable of hosting diverse activities. It demonstrates how architecture can foster openness and inclusion, proving that even economical and restrained interventions can preserve the original character of a building while creating a more humane environment.

DRMA
DRMA is an architectural office with experience across a rich variety of projects in architecture and place-making. DRMA brings together the community to turn local potentials into reality.