"Better Health - Together!" New exhibition invites everyone to contribute ideas for the development of Romerike Health Center

The exhibition marks the conclusion of the five-year research and innovation project Building Health, carried out by the building’s owner, Linstow, in collaboration with SINTEF.

The project has explored how buildings and urban development can contribute to better health, and how cross-sector collaboration can help reduce the need for health services in the long term.

“This is not just an exhibition, but a knowledge-based experiment in collaboration – a joint mobilization for prevention and better health,” says Hege Hidle Aaser, Director of Linstow Health. “Together with SINTEF, we are testing a new model for gathering ideas and insights, and everyone is invited to contribute their thoughts on how Romerike Health Building can be used and developed in the future.”

An unconventional exhibition, it poses questions and includes interactive stations where visitors can share reflections and ideas on how we, together, can prevent illness, strengthen social ties, and create environments that promote better health – so that more people can live good lives, for longer.
The input collected will be further developed through focus groups and used in the planning of the next phase of Romerike Health Building, which is now set to double in size.

Collaboration across sectors
The work in Building Health has revealed the need for new models of collaboration. Health promotion cannot be achieved by one actor or sector alone.

“Here, we saw that we can learn from history. Around a hundred years ago, infectious diseases were the greatest public health challenge. The solutions then came through innovation in three areas: citizens learned about the importance of hygiene, health services were strengthened through hospital development, antibiotics and vaccination programs, and building and urban design created better living conditions with more space, light, air, and modern water and sanitation systems,” explains Senior Researcher Stine Hellum Braathen at SINTEF Health.

We need to invest more in prevention
Today, the main challenge is non-communicable diseases. A full 87 percent of the disease burden in Norway comes from non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Research shows that up to 70 percent of these cases could be prevented – yet only 1 percent of the national health budget is spent on prevention.

“To ensure a sustainable healthcare system, we must rethink – again. Among citizens, within health services, and in building and urban development – and, most importantly, in the interaction between them. As one of Norway’s largest health buildings, Romerike Health Building is now expanding, giving us a unique opportunity to explore how the building can be used in ways that promote health for more people. The exhibition aims to inspire new thinking in practice,” says Aaser.

She encourages everyone to visit the exhibition and share their input.For those unable to visit in person, a digital version is available at romerikehelsebygg.no/bedre-helse-sammen, where visitors can explore the exhibition and submit their ideas.

Better Health – Together! runs from 22 October to 21 November 2025 at Romerike Health Building. Free admission – open to all.