Akerselva Atrium / NBBJ

Architects: NBBJ
Location: Oslo, Norway
NBBJ Team: Peter Pran, Jonathan Ward, Martin Reeves, Stuart Rudd, Phu Duong, Cliff Green, Nick Worth, Ivan Equihua, Rachel Lin
Pran Arkitekter Team: Odd Sigvart Pran, Elizabeth Pran
Poulsson/Pran Architects Team: Marcus Pran, Andreas Poulsson, Jonas Sobstad, Inger Anita Reigstad, Jurg Frei, Erling Magnus Hjerman
Interior Architects: Zinc
Client: NCC Property Development, Oslo
Construction: NCC Construction
Owner: Vital Company
Project Area: 17,600
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Tim Griffith, Jiri Havran

The NBBJ-designed Akerselva Atrium is a new 17,600 SM mixed-use project in the Akerselva neighborhood in downtown Oslo—a mere five-minute walk to the city’s opera, central train station and harbor. Surrounded by historical industrial, office and apartment buildings, it is among the first contemporary and innovative designs introduced to the area in recent years.

As a site-specific project, the design anchors to the area’s existing architectural aesthetic, while the use of juxtaposed facades, materials and colors, enlivens the neighborhood with a new modern identity. The design also ties to the riverfront whenever possible:

The all-metal curtain wall melds with the area’s predominantly metal and masonry buildings; its white-and-blue punched windows bring a modern interplay of color and shape.

The west-facing all high-performance glass facade tilts 90 degrees to seemingly float above the river, providing staff with not only a panoramic views but a unique sensation of suspension above water.

The inward-leaning atrium serves as the project’s primary entrance and is clearly marked by a dramatic 10-story leaning atrium comprised entirely of orange glass.

The atrium defines a diagonal circulation path through the project, splitting it in two.

At street level, a wide staircase offers the area’s only public access point to the riverside.

The top floors are occupied by NHST, the primary tenant and owner of Dagens Næringsliv, one of Norway’s top newspapers. The lower floors are occupied by Oslo Kommune/Oslo County and Eiendoms-og Byfornyelsesetaten/Property and City Renewal Department.