Ghosts and Intruders in SiÅs Housing

Skoggården, Fougnerbakken, have you heard of it? No? If not, you are not alone. The unknown but fabled student accommodation has opened its doors to Tuntreet. The infamous “Ballerina Man” and “Sauna Man” are two of the most important figures in the history of this house.

Journalist: Sunniva Steiro

Translator: Sofie Palmstrøm

Photographer: Nathalie Genvieve Bjørneby

The Ballerina Man

A man dressed in a ballerina skirt was supposedly observed in the kitchen during night-time for the first time in 2017, and after that on several occasions until 2022. Among other things, he has been lurking at the edge of the forest during one of the legendary Skoggården parties, and in the stairway between the second floor and the basement of the white house in Fougnerbakken. On both occasions, he quickly ran away after being discovered.

Bike Thief and Mascot

The man dressed in a ballerina skirt was supposedly met by a Securitas guard while trying to steal a bike, but the police has not been successful in contacting the man later. He had told the guard that he had been to a party at a student accommodation, but it was not clear whether he was under the influence, nor could he account for where he had been. Today, the Ballerina Man is the main mascot of Skoggården, who has had several ballerina-themed parties in his name.

A Varied Past

Skoggården is located in Fougnerbakken 21, behind the Tower and Clock building, and is today owned by SiÅs. The building has previously been used as offices by the Center for Livestock Production, reading areas for students studying livestock, and trashy parties hosted by Danskebåten. The reason why SiÅs got to convert the house into student housing in 2009, was due to a housing shortage, and several students were living in tents. The building itself is owned by the Department for Food and Agriculture, and was built for Skogforsøksvesenet, which is now a part of NIBIO.

Danskebåten

Danskebåten was a result of a series of initiatives made by Ås students in the early 2000s to improve the student community. Several student associations found that the basement of Skoggården was a good place to meet, and Danskebåten became a reality through massive amounts of volunteer work and financial investments.

The Sauna Man

In addition to the Ballerina Man, there was also a man who for a period of time lived in the sauna in the laundry room — a man who is still a fabled character in this “house of wonders”. Former resident Viveka Simhan (23) tells us that she at the time didn’t know that there was someone living in the sauna right below her floor, and was reasonably surprised when she heard guitar music through the floor.

Sounds

Through the years, there has been a lot of noise around Skoggården, both due to forced relocation to and from the building (which can be read about in Tuntreet from 2010, edition 2 and 3), but also noise in the most literal sense. Ever since the start of the construction of the veterinary buildings, the residents of Skoggården have been woken up early every day, by piling and hammering. Now, the construction is finished, but the residents still talk about extra-terrestrial sounds coming from Bikuben every night around closing hours.

Footsteps in the Attic

Inside the house there is also noise, because Skoggården might be SiÅs’ most resounding house of them all! Especially one sound has kept some of the girls on the second floor awake – the sound of footsteps on the third floor. The building has three floors in addition to the basement, which is also evident from the blueprints hanging in the hallway, though not as available areas. In fact, it’s impossible to get to the third floor, at least for the living souls in the house…

When summer comes, all the residents of the second floor are moving out of Skoggården — perhaps by coincidence, perhaps not. With them, the story of the white palace at the end of Fougnerbakken moves too; but who knows, maybe it still lives on inside the walls…