Oslo Airport is the first airport building in the world to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Nordic — Office of Architecture’s signature flow aids travellers and patients worldwide One of the largest architectural practices in Scandinavia, Nordic — Office of Architecture always places people at the heart of everything they do. Whether the task at hand is an airport in Oslo or a psychiatric institution in Trondheim, part of their company DNA is to implement a bullet-proof methodology to meet every client’s needs. By Pernille Johnsen | Photos: Nordic — Office of Architecture
In large-scale projects, such as hospitals and airports, it is easy to view the building as a logistical machine that simply moves people through a multitude of check-points. This is the opposite of what Nordic aims to do; they construct buildings where the patient, air traveller or pupil is consistently in focus and the structure is built to accommodate their needs. One example is St. Olavs Hospital, 80 | Issue 105 | October 2017
where the effortless flow necessary for the patient’s recovery is a built-in feature at the Mobility Centre. Also present at St. Olavs Hospital is the Knowledge Centre, a joint venture between the hospital and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, which hosts treatment rooms, a library and study rooms to name a few. This is a new approach in Norwegian healthcare and
acts as an example of how constructing and developing something differently is a welcomed change.
Identify, understand and solve – a method of merit In order to deliver such large projects, Nordic has adopted a method that aids the practice in solving assignments of all sizes. First, the team identifies the essence of the task, where aspects such as topography, history and sustainability are analysed and accounted for. What is the client actually asking for? When the essence of the project is established, a range of viewpoints and scenarios for various