Rubb Fabric Building News

The large working space, plentiful natural light and portability of Rubb buildings makes them a frequent favorite of major construction companies. In this application just outside of Bergen, Norway, Rubb NV buildings are used to store equipment at both ends of a tunnel under construction. These shelters protect equipment used to drill and blast through granite rock.

Four NV buildings are used on this site — one is 20m x 21m and has two large steel doors in one gable end. Another is specially designed so two attached 20ft ISO containers open up to the back of the building. This is used a ‘safe storage space’ and is ideal as workers can access it from the inside of the building. These NVs will be moved on to another major construction project when this road / tunnel is complete.

Of the many assets that make Rubb a great company, our people are the most valuable. Many of our employees have worked with us for decades and their loyalty and dedication has made us the successful company we are.

On December 20th, 2007 we had the honor of awarding Solveig Agasøster with the the King’s silver medal for 30 years service to Rubb Norway. As production leader of Rubb Industri AS, Solveig is in charge of cutting fabrics and planning certain production tasks. She is also involved in welding fabric and from time to time quality control. The King’s award recognizes a career of hard work and loyalty, and her very valued role with the Rubb organization.

Thank you Solveig, and all Rubb employees, for your contributions in building the very finest fabric buildings in the world. We look forward to many more years of service, growth, and innovation worldwide.

Not far from Rubbestadneset, birthplace of Rubb and home of Rubb’s Norwegian division, a Rubb structure sits at a site rich with World War 2 history.

The west coast of Norway was both the last stronghold and a perilous passage for the German submarine fleet at the tail end of WW2. After D-Day, Allied forces quickly took hold of France’s submarine bases, forcing German leadership to withdraw their submarine fleets to Norway. The town of Bergen, notched in the rugged landscape of Western Norway, was an important home base, with both excellent access to Eastern Norway via railway and waterways to Britain and Europe. The large, protected bunkers of Bergen provided sufficient refuge for the retreating German fleet, but not without a long and bitter trek across the North Atlantic.

Well aware of the “Festung Norwegen,” or Fortress of Norway, as the Germans called it, the Allied command sent squadrons of air power to take out submarines, navy vessels, and supply ships on their way to or from Norway. Countering the offensive (primarily among the British Royal Air Forces) were powerful escort vessels dubbed “Flakships” by British naval and air forces.

These menacing vessels were refurbished whaling vessels armed to the brim with weapons, ranging from machine guns of all sizes, depth charges, and a rocket-based weapon that sheared wings off from opposing aircraft. Countering these vicious guard units were the nimble “Mosquito” aircraft, lead by Allied troops from bases in Northern Scotland.

The German units held out for a while, hiding among the fjords of Western Norway or sailing at night when possible, but the Allied forces persisted and eventually assaulted Bergen itself. “Bunker Bruno,” the massive submarine shelter, was several damaged by Allied bombing, leaving only three of its many submarine pens intact.

Today, the Norwegian Navy still uses these pens to house submarines, and a Rubb NV type building sits alongside the historic location. The 10 x 21 x 3m structure uses a steel folding door and is used today for stoage by SFK/UVB-Bunker. While dwarfed by the massive structure that once housed the strength of Germany’s navy, this Rubb structure is ideally suited for the harsh environment of this location in the heart of Western Norway.