Deg 42 Building Barcode, Oslo Offices, a-lab Architects, Norwegian Design, Architecture Norway

Deg 42 Office Building, Oslo

Norwegian Commercial Architecture in Bjørvika, Fjord City – design by a-lab, architects

18 May 2016

Deg 42 Office Building, BARCODE

Design: a-lab Architects, Norway

The Barcode Project is a section of the Bjørvika portion of the Fjord City, Oslo, Norway.

Deg 42 Building Oslo

DESIGN NAME:
Deg 42

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Office building

INSPIRATION:
Meatpacking Distric New York. THE ICONIC SHAPE is a direct result of a narrow and wedge-shaped leftover plot, at the very end of BARCODE. THE DESIGN IS ROOTED IN A DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLE of bestowing all users with excellent working conditions, good lighting and access to both formal and informal meeting spaces. COLUMN-FREE INTERIOR makes the office spaces completely flexible and increases adaptability for shifting needs of different tenants.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
«The Wedge» is a «small high-rise» and an untraditional low-energy office building. The project is tailor-made for small and innovative firms. 12 stories holds retail on ground level, open office floors for co-working, and a communal restaurant on top. Each floor is small: 10 meters wide at the widest, 4 meters at the most narrow. We have tried to enhance this quality and use it to make an environment that will host multiple companies, one or more per floor. . In DEG 42, the best spaces in the building are reserved for the public or as common areas for all who work there: The roof has a sheltered common terrace with views to all directions through openings in the fortress-inspired walls. The 10th floor is common for all tenants, with its’ chill out lounge that can also be used for big meetings or even as a pop up restaurant or parties. On ground level, DEG42 holds a restaurant for the public – a place for the whole city.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
Construction started on January 2015 and building was completed in March 2016. Deg 42 is a part of BARCODE- The award-winning architect gem located on the waterfront of Oslo fjord.

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
RED BRICK makes out the entire building envelope, including the cantilevering meeting room boxes. This way the project assimilates reference to both modern and historical architecture buildings, such as the cathedral and city hall of Oslo. It is a low energy building with a compact end energy effective plot distribution.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
The architecture is a clear product of the wedge-shaped plot, which measures 70 meters in length and only 4-10 meters in width. Meeting rooms and an external fire escape cantilevers on the façade. The cantilevered boxes in the façade provide spaces to withdraw for brainstorming and conversations, and you can take the outdoor stairs to meet for a smoke or visit you an interesting colleague on the floor below you.

CHALLENGE:
Both stairs and “POP OUT” boxes challenged us into something new. Boxes are situated on the outside of Barcode. That is the longest side and the most visible side for the people that are passing by the Barcode. They expose the activity on the inside of the building and with them we create life and movements for the whole area. People will wander: “How is it like to be inside of the box, looking on the outside?”. With the staircase you can reach to various parts of the building outside facade, both vertically up to roof or horizontally.

IMAGE CREDITS:
Ivan Brodey

AWARD DETAILS
Winner- Deg 42 Office Building by a-Lab International Architect Office is Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category, 2015-16.

Deg 42 Office Building images / information from a-lab

Deg 42 Office Building design : a-lab

Location: DEG 42, Barcode, Oslo, Norway