Kolstad Arena

Kolstad Arena does not announce itself from the road. It sits in the Saupstad district, tucked behind the timber and concrete of the Heimdal Upper Secondary School complex. The building is a low rectangle of warm wood cladding that runs parallel to the street, interrupted by a section of glossy green panels and a glass entrance marked with the words Trondheim Spektrum.

Inside, the space is a strict rectangle for handball rather than a sprawling football pitch. The playing surface is parquet, a standard for the sport in Norway, and the stands are arranged tightly around the court. The capacity is set at two thousand five hundred spectators. The numbers do not shift; the arena has maintained this figure since it was completed in August 2018. It was not designed as a monument, but as a functional volume where the local clubs Kolstad Håndball and Byåsen Håndball Elite play their smaller fixtures.

The site is not isolated from the city. The building serves a dual purpose, hosting community events such as the Student Fair Trondheim 2025 alongside the handball matches. When the crowds are larger, the clubs move to the main Trondheim Spektrum arena, leaving Kolstad Arena to the games where the attendance is lower. The first match held here saw Kolstad win 35–23 against Bækkelaget, but the specific result matters less than the routine of the venue. It is a place for the local game, built by Skanska and opened with a concert by Åge Aleksandersen, now settled into its role as a quiet alternative to the large venues nearby.