Opened in 1993 and costing 134.6 million Norwegian krone (NOK), it was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, where it hosted 16 ice hockey matches.

It is the home of Gjøvik Hockey, has hosted the 1995 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships and is also used as an event venue.

Because half the country's surface consists of exposed rock, Norway has a tradition of building mountain cavern halls for many purposes, from tunnels via power plants to sport centers.

[2] A budget was prepared by the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) in December 1989, and in April 1990, the Parliament of Norway passed a grant.

[3] The municipal council took the decision to build underground on 24 January 1991 and the main planning was contracted to Fortifikasjon.

[3] A research group was created, which had four main tasks: ventilation, energy, fire and safety; the environment; rock mechanism and geology; and laws and regulations.

[3] Throughout construction, surveillance was made continually of the rock, and the crown of the roof was measured to have settled 8 to 10 millimeters (0.31 to 0.39 in), which was as expected.

[1] Safety planning was done in cooperation with the National Office of Building Technology and Administration, and included the use of uninflammable materials, creation of sufficient fire exits.

[1] It was the 29th indoor ice hockey rink in Norway,[4] and the world's largest cavern hall for public use.

[5] The facility is located just west of the town center of Gjøvik, with the main hall 120 meters (390 ft) into the mountain.

In addition to a main hall, there is a swimming pool, a cafeteria and a telecommunications facility operated by Telenor.

The main hall is designed as a multi-use venue, and can feature indoor football, handball, basketball, volleyball, rifling and tennis, as well as concerts, dining and events.

The hall duplicates as a civil defense facility, and is designed to withstand nuclear, conventional and gas attacks.

[11] However, because Storhamar was at scheduled time playing play-offs in the Norwegian Ice Hockey Championship, it was in December 1994 decided to move the tournament to Gjøvik.