Exhibition designs for a museum dedicated to the world’s only preserved Nordlandsjekt – a 17th century Norwegian cargo ship – have been unveiled by design firm Kvorning.

Located in Bodø lake in north-western Norway, Anna Karoline, will be centred around the vessel of the same name, which will form the centrepiece of the museum as part of a wider exhibition looking at jekt shipping heritage. The ship has spent the last 60 years in storage, most recently setting sail in 1954 as a transport barge for fish. As part of works it will be professionally restored and conserved as an icon of Norwegian heritage.

According to Kvorning, the museum will look at 400 years of local boatbuilding traditions along the coastline, centred around the history of Anna Karoline, which was built in 1876 and was for centuries one of the the most important freight vessels to sail along the coast of Norway.

Spread over four buildings, Oslo-based Rintala Eggertsson Arkitekter have created the overall concept, with Kvorning winning the assignment of a draft project and the main communication concept.

NKR30m (US$3.6m, €3.2m, £2.7m) in funding has been supplied by Bodø municipality and the state for the NKR100m (US$12m, €11m, £9m) project.

The museum is being developed in connection with a cultural quarter for Bodø, which has been developed in recognition of Bodø city’s 200th anniversary in 2016. The museum is expected to open in 2018.