Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Architecture & Design Special – Norway
A finalist at World Architecture Festival (WAF) this autumn, one of the most current projects is the residential building aimed to be the answer to Oslo’s need for density outside the inner city. Photo: Ivan Brodey.
Architects for social responsibility Through research and innovation, deeply rooted in a thirst for knowledge and desire to expand the qualities of their field, A-lab is an international-oriented architect firm focusing on the social responsibility of architecture. By Line Elise Svanevik
The portfolio of the Oslo-based firm spans widely, from drawing urban master plans and buildings in the famous Barcode district of Oslo, to solar-powered trees that can charge a smartphone, laptop, electric bike or a food truck – while also being a place for casual conversations.
Collaborative office spaces A-lab has a strong focus on the future of office spaces, which they have proved through award-winning projects. The latest is The Wedge – the last small building in Oslo’s barcode area, which A-lab has had a key part in developing. The idea behind it was to have a diverse mix of companies in the same building and 94 | Issue 105 | October 2017
offer plenty of spaces for casual conversations, where employees from different organisations could sit down, chat and learn from each other. Partner and head of strategy and development at A-lab, Julie Sjøwall Oftedal, says: “In innovative work spaces as well as in housing areas, we believe that making good places both for planned meetings and for random encounters is one of the most important contributions we can make as architects today.” Tøyen Startup Village in Tøyen, Oslo, is another example of a strategy for a whole area that was planned alongside new
work spaces for start-up businesses. “It is important to create that place, the location that has its own identity and supports economic and cultural growth for a borough,” Sjøwall Oftedal explains. “The concept being a work bar and office landscape for start-up companies, developed with the whole borough in mind, we wanted to create a collaboration between offices throughout Tøyen to get them to help each other out by dragging new businesses up and creating room for growth.” A-lab’s passion for vibrant urban life and provident office spaces recently contributed to making their team, G8+, one of two finalists in the competition for Oslo’s new government headquarters. “We’re really proud to have gotten to the final together with a fantastic interdisciplinary team,” says Sjøwall Oftedal. “We wanted to put the people at the centre and create a dynamic city life with close contact be-