2_1_ScanMag_69_Oct_2014_Text:Scan Magazine 1
6/10/14
12:00
Page 55
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Architecture Norway
The winning solution RATIO’s winning solution was for the new Life Science centre at the University of Oslo, where the construction will be Norway's largest university building ever. The winning solution was a collaboration between RATIO Architects, Cubo Arkitekter AS and landscape architects Kristine Jensen’s Tegnestue, the last two from Denmark. “Winning the Life Science centre has definitely been an important milestone for RATIO,” Per Brynildsen asserts. “We were initially competing against seven other very competent groups, and at the end, there were three finalists with only a few months to complete the design.” The site on which the building is to be constructed certainly proved to be a challenge. Set in the sightline between the current university campus and the university hospital, it was important that the view to the sea from the nearby hospital was not blocked. It was also essential to create enough room for the necessary university facilities and maintain a link with the existing university buildings. It was especially this innovative and adaptive idea – conceived very early in the process – that impressed the judges and ensured RATIO’s success. The concept of high- and low-rise buildings is one of the characteristics of Oslo University’s Blindern campus, so the Life Science centre reinterprets and connects to the existing building typology in the area. “We also opened up one side of the structure so that the wooded area with its little brook, Gaustadbekkdalen, could be used recreationally as an enlargement of the building. It has been very important for us to maintain the contact between indoor and outdoor environments.”
was a rehabilitation endeavour that aimed to refurbish and preserve the historical building from 1957. “It's always special when we get projects like this. To work according to a framework that already exists requires that we realise and exploit the values that are already there. It always gives a great opportunity for a change to a new identity. In this case it was modernising a building that, despite its charming mosaic façades worthy of preservation, was still anonymous and introvert in the city landscape. By expanding the existing conference centre, updating facilities for workers and visitors and making necessary structural changes, we were able to create a modern meeting centre for our client centrally in Oslo,” says Hagen. The most important architectural steps taken involved opening the building's façade at street level as much as possible, in order to promote its business and let in more daylight. Additionally the entrance was lowered to street level to improve contact with the environment and better access for people with disabilities. “It's essential that public buildings in the city promote communication with the outside world. The dynamics of such build-
ings enable the public to look in to see what is going on, while those working there have contact with the city environment and thus create a stronger urban life. It is important that there is enough openness and accessibility there,” Hagen remarks. Previously unused areas in the building’s basement were also included in the final result. At the same time, art and new elements in materials such as concrete and wood were added to expand on the building’s original “soul”. “We have had considerable positive feedback from the people using the building. We put a lot of work into the project to ensure our client would get the expected high-quality meeting centre, and our success is evident,” says Hagen. Buildings such as these attest to RATIO's aptitude for finding a tailored balance between people and their surroundings. As the company’s tagline goes: “The possibilities are endless – for a new, sustainable architecture!” For more information, please visit: www.ratioark.no
Revamping history Although problem-solving and creating designs from scratch are a large part of RATIO's everyday work, some projects require a different kind of approach. The Oslo municipal headquarters (“Kommunenes Hus”) housing the headquarters of KS is an example of this. The project, managed by Karin Hagen of RATIO,
Issue 69 | October 2014 | 55