Lars Onsager’s 1968 Nobel prize fuels naming push – Onsager, awarded the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was the first laureate from the former Norwegian Institute of Technology (now NTNU) [1].
Committee proposes “Lars Onsagers hus” for the Realfagbygget – Professors Helge Holden and Arne Brataas, members of the Onsager‑komitéen, argue the new science building on Gløshaugen naturally bears Onsager’s name; the suggestion was published in Universitetsavisa [2].
University guidelines warn against overusing honorary building names – Institute director Nora B. Kulset notes NTNU policy urges restraint to avoid a campus dominated by male names and a static “snapshot” of past figures [1].
Proposal includes naming a building after Eva Sivertsen – Holden cites Sivertsen, appointed rector of the former AVH in 1975 and the first female rector of a Nordic university, as a worthy exception to the naming rule [1].
Alternative: honor individuals via rooms, halls, elevators – Kulset suggests using internal spaces—citing a room named for Sami activist Laula Renberg—to recognize contributions without renaming whole structures [1].
Practical doubts raised about naming elevators and high‑rise spaces – Holden warns that attaching a name to elevators in the central high‑rise building could be seen as a humiliation rather than an honor [1].