Our proposal for the development of Parkveien 27-31, behind the Royal Palace, sees it as important to invest in good public spaces, varied urban forms such as arcades and squares, as well as green space in the form of fruit tree gardens. This variety of new spaces and typologies offers a kind of intensification of human activities in the neighborhood that increases its potential as a cultural node of Oslo.

Located in the affluent neighborhood of Uranienborg, the site sits at a prominent corner of Slottsparken and is hemmed in by 4 of the city’s most important commercial streets, forming an attractive urban block. Within this block, today we find the wide variety of architectural forms that give Oslo its unique character – from the low-rise timber houses of the former palace stables to the 19th century stuccoed town houses, to the more robust brick apartment blocks, or ‘funkis’ (functionalist architecture) of the mid-20th century. All of which are grouped together in the rather cathartic, unplanned manner found throughout the city. 

With so many overlapping layers of history, we proposed a series of interventions that would not work against the informal nature of the site, but instead draws on the multitude of Oslo’s built forms to create a human friendly and pleasant neighbourhood that is ‘of its place’. Most notably it is the adoption of the unique Oslo built form of the ‘basaren’ or bazar as the public focal point of the new development. The integration of a clearly defined lateral route across the currently impenetrable city block will create a more permeable, active and walkable quarter of the city.

Typology
Planning, Residential, Commercial, Culture, Renovation

Status
Competition (2019)
On-going

Location
Oslo, Norway