NSB started large-scale unmanning of its stations from the 1970s, following the introduction of centralized traffic control. This led to a paradigm shift in the way new station were designed. There was no longer a need for a station building. Instead focus was on larger platforms to handle many travelers, better access and large roofed areas where passengers could wait. Holmlia was the first major project of this kind in Norway and represented a trend where suburbs with high ridership received stations with high throughput. Arne Henriksen at NSB Arkitektkontor was selected as the head architect, and Holmlia became his breakthrough. He would continue to dominate railway architecture in Norway the next two decades. Holmlia Station won him the Houen Foundation Award in 1988.