OVERVIEW

This project is a design proposal for a performing arts center in Oslo located in the industrial outskirts of Oslo’s Centrum district. The site is a parking lot located between the Forsvarsmuseet (the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum) and the industrial waterfront.  The program called for theatre, education spaces, and library spaces to create a cultural amenity for the city.

SITE AND PUBLIC SPACE

The site is located at the edge of an industrial zone and is surrounded by parking lots. The historic center is located to the northwest and is elevated above the site. The parcel is further separated from the Centrum and the Forsvarsmuseet by a busy local artery that accommodates both vehicular and truck traffic.

The project uses the public space of the existing Forsvarsmuseet as a spring point for the design proposal. A new park is inserted into the existing historical context and is extended to create a public loop that is lifted above the arterial road. This loop allows multiple access points to the building and creates an elevated park with views of the ocean and landscape beyond.

A NEW CIVIC ZONE

The rooftop park forms a new public amenity for the city. It is a multifaceted civic space that creates a contemplative and linear urban experience, promotes new views of the city and landscape, and creates multiple entries to the Oslo Cultural Center. Stone paving and generous plantings create a sense of civic texture and scale. The apex of the rooftop park allows for panoramic views of the ocean beyond.

The lobby of the project, located beneath the Civic Loop, is reconceived as a public node called “The Nexus” that links the upper and lower parks into a continuous experience and provides access to the project’s cultural program.  Two gently sloped ramps bring visitors from the Civic Loop (and Oslo Centrum) to the Nexus, which allows access to the proposed Waterfront Plaza.

Taken together, these design gestures extend the public space of Oslo Centrum, revitalize the industrial waterfront, and create a civic program (the Cultural Center) that anchors the new public space of the city. The new waterfront plaza serves to jump-start the revitalization of the industrial waterfront.

THE CROWN

A public corridor above the theatre extends the public space of the project, creating an interior linear experience that allows visitors to enjoy panoramic views of the ocean and waterfront beyond.