Akerselva Atrium, Norway, Oslo Building, NBBJ Architects, Picture, Project, Competition, Design

Akerselva Atrium Oslo : Building

Mixed-Use Development in Norway – design by NBBJ Architects

28 Apr 2010

Akerselva Atrium Oslo

Design: NBBJ

photograph © Tim Griffith

The NBBJ-designed Akerselva Atrium is a new 17,600 SM mixed-use project in the Akerselva neighborhood in downtown Oslo—a mere five-minute walk to the city’s opera, central train station and harbor. Surrounded by historical industrial, office and apartment buildings, it is among the first contemporary and innovative designs introduced to the area in recent years.

photos © Tim Griffith

As a site-specific project, the design anchors to the area’s existing architectural aesthetic, while the use of juxtaposed facades, materials and colors, enlivens the neighborhood with a new modern identity. The design also ties to the riverfront whenever possible:

– The all-metal curtain wall melds with the area’s predominantly metal and masonry buildings; its white-and-blue punched windows bring a modern interplay of color and shape.

– The west-facing all high-performance glass facade tilts 90 degrees to seemingly float above the river, providing staff with not only a panoramic views but a unique sensation of suspension above water.

– The inward-leaning atrium serves as the project’s primary entrance and is clearly marked by a dramatic 10-story leaning atrium comprised entirely of orange glass.

– The atrium defines a diagonal circulation path through the project, splitting it in two.

– At street level, a wide staircase offers the area’s only public access point to the riverside

photos © Tim Griffith

The top floors are occupied by NHST, the primary tenant and owner of Dagens Næringsliv, one of Norway’s top newspapers. The lower floors are occupied by Oslo Kommune/Oslo County and Eiendoms-og Byfornyelsesetaten/Property and City Renewal Department.

photos © Tim Griffith

Akerselva Atrium – Building Information

NBBJ (Design Architect)
Peter Pran, Design Principal in charge
Jonathan Ward, Principal,
Martin Reeves, Project Designer and Manager in charge
Stuart Rudd, Technical Coordinator
Phu Duong, Associate and Project Designer
Cliff Green, Architect
Nick Worth, Assistant Architect
Ivan Equihua, Project Designer
Rachel Lin, Designer

Pran Arkitekter, Architects, Oslo
Odd Sigvart Pran, Principal in charge
Elizabeth Pran, Principal

Poulsson/Pran Architects, Oslo (formerly Bambus)
Marcus Pran, Principal in charge
Andreas Poulsson, Principal
Jonas Sobstad, Senior Architect
Inger Anita Reigstad, Interior Architect
Jurg Frei, Senior Architect for Bambus (now Poulsson/Pran)
Erling Magnus Hjerman, Senior Architect

Interior Architects:
Zinc (design for NHST/DN for Akerselva Atrium; floors 4 to 10, lobby, 1st fl+Cafetria)
Elisabeth Tromborg, Interior Architect MNIL in charge
Camilla Songe-Moller, Interior Architect MNIL
Mellbye Architects/Interiors: For EBY at 2 to 4 fl
Client:
NCC Property Development, Oslo
Mona Ingebrigtsen, Adm. Dir.
Stein Haugbro, Adm. Dir.
Thomas Tenden, Director
Rolf Thorsen, Adm. Dir.

Construction: NCC Construction

Owner: Vital Company

Main Tenants:
NHST with Dagens Næringsliv (one of the main newspapers in Norway)
Eiendoms- and Byfornyelsesetaten (Property and City Renewal Department)

Advisors/Technical advisors: Opak – RIB, RIG, RIBR: Rambøll – Ria: BS Akustikk
Technical coordinator: Norconsult

photos © Tim Griffith