67 Viking Line’s ships now feature contemporary, Nordic-inspired spaces the flow of guests. Service outlets like bar and food counters and entertainment venues like stages should be located so that the guests find their way easily and congestions are avoided. Crossings between guests and crew must also be avoided, so the supply of goods to service points should be carried out without disturbing the guests as much as possible. By concentrating galleys, storage areas and other crew-only areas around service lifts, we can reduce time spent on moving products and other materials within the ship. The short harbour times and intensive time schedule that we work with at Viking Line demands an effective operation ‘backstage’. The large volumes of linen, food and tax-free products that have to be handled must be considered early in the design process. I’ve used these principles across a huge number of projects since I started in 1988. It’s very difficult to pick a favourite when carrying out more than 50 different size projects per year has been the norm. However, one of the most interesting projects that I’ve been a part of was the nightclub conversion onboard Viking Cinderella, which created what I think is the best nightclub on the Baltic. The original three-deck-high space created by Norwegian architect Njål Eide gave an excellent starting point for redesigning the room. We needed to ensure that guests came into the room without stopping in the entrance and blocking entry, so we chose to relocate the stage – an idea first suggested by the crew onboard. We also introduced modern LED lighting into the space, and the result in the three-deck-high space was very impressive. Johan Nordberg is an architect and interior designer coordinator at Viking Line “ The focus for us is always on guest experience. We try to give views of the sea or archipelago from a variety of different public areas”
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