Norwegian architecture offices A-lab and LPO revealed the plan to develop the last remaining plot in Bispevika, part of the Fjord City, a large-scale waterfront urban renewal project in the center of Oslo, Norway. The intervention strengthens the connection between the historic medieval city of Oslo to the new Fjord City while also introducing cultural, creative, and commercial activities to the area. The project comprises five buildings forming a quarter. The proposed massing and height take a contextual approach as they are reduced toward important local monuments such as the baroque residence “Ladegården” with its baroque garden “Barokkhagen." The project is developed by Oslo S Utvikling (OSU), the same client behind the Barcode project, and in collaboration with landscape architects SLA.
Through the positioning of the building on the C6 plot, the proposal creates five squares at ground level, open to everyone. These are car-free urban spaces whose activity levels are enhanced through the proposed functions of the adjacent buildings, which include meeting areas, cultural activities, restaurants, a cinema, retail spaces, and areas dedicated to children and young people. The purpose behind the functional mix is to establish several low-threshold offerings that differ from the more commercial areas nearby and help create a local identity.
The development features a total of 3,300 square meters of meeting places and public spaces. According to the architects, they strive to bring people further from the Barcode and toward historic Oslo by creating good urban spaces well-connected to the street network. The aim is to create an area that becomes a meeting point for the local residents and that adds a strong connection to the rest of the city.
A-lab has been involved in the development of Oslo’s Fjord city from the start, since winning the competition for the masterplan of Barcode in 2003, together with architecture firms MRDV and Dark. The C6 plot is the last piece in this development, located at the intersection between the end of the Barcode row and the end of the Medieval Park. Because of its position, it was important that the development of this plot to reflect the character of both the new and old districts, acting as a mediator between the two.
Because the site is located at the intersection between the new and the old town, it has been important to design modern and lasting buildings adapted to the historic surroundings. We have had an extra focus on the design of facades that draw inspiration from the context, with strategies including the use of appropriate materials, use of color, relief and ornamentation, contextual window and facade proportions, and arches inspired by the old locomotive workshop and “Ladegården” - A-lab architect Espen Philip Haugen
Similar developments have been announced in Helsinki, where White Arkitekter and K2S Architects have been selected as the winners of the competition to design a new waterfront cultural destination in the Makasiiniranta area. The Italian city of Genoa is also planning to transform its seafront through RPBW and OBR’s proposal to transform the Waterfront di Levante into a new urban front on the sea.
