[1] It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, and houses three Viking era burial ships that were found as part of archaeological finds from Tune, Gokstad (Sandefjord), Oseberg (Tønsberg) and the Borre mound cemetery.

Additionally, the Viking Age display includes sledges, beds, a horse cart, wood carving, tent components, buckets and other grave goods.

[3] In 1913, Swedish professor Gabriel Gustafson proposed a specific building to house Viking Age finds that were discovered at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

The Gokstad and Oseberg ships had been stored in temporary shelters at the University of Oslo.

The winner of the architectural competition was announced on 12 April 2016: the Danish firm AART architects with their proposal titled "NAUST".