One of the three main exhibitions at the Oslo Architecture Triennale, which runs through the end of October, is "Oslo in the Making," an exhibition presenting sixteen proposals for the development of the Grønlikaia district. What can we learn from its example when it comes to organizing competitions?
Dominated by a container port and railroad tracks, the area, according to the urban renewal plan, is to become a residential district in the future - on an area of 208,000 square meters there will be one thousand five hundred apartments, a wide harbor promenade and about three or four thousand jobs.
Proposal for the Grønlikilen area
© Haptic
Responsible for the redevelopment of the Bjørvika area in Oslo, of which Grønlikaia is the last harbor area, the development company Hav Eiendom set the bar high - both for themselves and for the architects who wanted to take part in the development of the area. After all, their goal was to create a diverse, accessible and inclusive space, without forgetting to take care of the climate and nature.
proposal for the Verket area
© Henning Larsen
So how does the process of shaping the area work? First of all, it is not short-sighted - as Hav Eiendom emphasizes, it is a unique opportunity to learn from past decisions, while taking into account future needs and expectations for the area. Another of the company's goals, due in part to its attractive location and waterfront exposure, will be to initiate research into building innovative and sustainable water structures.
proposal for the Lohavn area
© Adept
The start of work on the actual master plan was preceded by a detailed review of existing plans, extensive public consultations and pre-qualifications for teams wishing to create a new district (eventually sixteen studios were invited to participate). The invited teams were allowed to choose one of the five parts of the area (Verket, Lohavn, Grønlikilen, Munkehagen or Buffersonen) for detailed development, and the fruits of their six-month work were presented during the opening days of the Oslo Architecture Triennale. On site, any visitor to the exhibition could express his or her opinion on the various proposals, and the architects talked about their visions and ideas. It was also decided to hold a seminar - a workshop, an open dialogue between designers and the public to broaden the discussion of possible scenarios for this part of the city.
proposal for the Verket area
© Ghilardi + Hellsten
Eirik Oland Nedrelid of Hav Eiendom talks about the process of creating a new neighborhood on a post-industrial site
Ola Kloc: In the spring of 2022 you announced the procurement and feasibility studies for the Grønlikaia neighborhood development project in Oslo, what activities preceded this step?
Eirik Oland Nedrelid: Prior to the announcement, we worked on revising the 2003 master plan together with Rodeo Architects and the Oslo City Planning Department. The guidelines given to the teams were based on comprehensive research, including an extensive participatory process and a sound approach to social and ecological sustainability based on the principles identified by Kate Raworths as the "economics of the ringgit."
proposal for the Lohavn area
© Hille Melbye
Ola: Out of one hundred and eighteen proposals submitted, you have selected sixteen teams that you have engaged for further cooperation. What will be the next steps?
Eirik: Now a committee will evaluate the proposals and make recommendations for a future master plan. Based on their evaluation, we intend to cooperate with the teams presenting the best concepts. Our ambition is to promote a new masterplan proposal in 2023, which will form the basis for the development of new neighborhoods on Grønlikaia.
Ola: Why did you decide to go through such a multi-stage process?
Eirik: In short, because Grønlikaia is a unique project with high economic and social value for both Hav Eiendom and the municipality as a whole. Therefore, we need to enable the most meticulous process in which the best and highly motivated architects and teams will help us realize the vision of creating a social and ecologically sustainable part of the city.
proposal for the Buffersonen area
© Asplan Viak
Ola: Grønlikaia is a huge area, what should you keep in mind (both from the architects' and developers' point of view) when creating a project for such a large area?
Eirik: Developing Grønlikaia is a complex process, and the project will transform Oslo indefinitely. It is crucial that the framework we have established now is resilient and can be adapted to future conditions and needs. We also want to emphasize how important it is that societal aspirations and goals influence the choices and actions we take now. For example, making sure that we are committed to low-carbon solutions while creating a welcoming atmosphere for everyone, not just those who work or live in Grønlikaia, thus making sure that Grønlikaia adds value for Oslo residents and visitors from home and abroad.
Proposal for the Verket area (proj.: Nordic/Kristin Jarmund) and Munkehagen (proj.: MER Arkitektur)
© Nordic/Kristin Jarmund; © MER Arkitektur
Now let's look at the process from the perspective of the participants. Tina Yun, an architect from the Norwegian studio Helen & Hard, talks about the pros and cons
Ola Kloc: Why did you decide to participate in this process?
Tina Yun: Grønlikaia is the last major part of the development of the Bjørvika area and the Fjord City project in Oslo with attractive areas facing west towards the fjord. As a whole, the area opens up a unique opportunity to develop a "fjord city of the future" with an emphasis on diversity, attractiveness and sustainability. We believe we have a great deal of knowledge and experience to contribute to this process.
Ola: What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a multi-stage procedure?
Tina: When the competition lasts for such a long time, and we are working on other projects in the office in parallel, it requires good planning of both the team's work and milestones throughout the process. Teams put in a lot of free work for a long time. Nonetheless, it is a good opportunity to lean in and think about the various topics we want to figure out, and we also need to balance the time spent on each aspect to try to reduce the stress and time pressure that often comes when working on competition projects.
The willingness to share thoughts and ideas during the open mid-term [a seminar for all sixteen studios - ed. note], even though we were in competition with each other, created a good atmosphere. It was interesting to see what the other teams saw as potential in the project and that each of us focused on different things within the same task. Each team brought its own strengths to it.
proposal for the Grønlikilen area
© Helen & Hard
Ola: Which part of the neighborhood did you choose and why?
Tina: We applied to work on both the Grønlikilen and Verket parts.
We saw great potential in Grønlikilen to create a unique and innovative neighborhood with urban buildings, rich urban life and space for diversity. We also applied for Grønlikilen because we are very committed and have extensive experience in developing socially sustainable housing and attractive neighborhoods.
We also considered part of Verket because of its location close to the city center. Verket will be a natural gateway and it is crucial to create a strong connection to the existing city, especially as a link to the eastern part of Oslo and Grønlikaia. We saw opportunities to develop attractive and flexible commercial buildings in the Verket subarea, with a unique identity and varied heights. The idea of an iconic skyscraper is something we would like to explore. An important criterion for success in Verket will be the development of robust and adaptable buildings with compact, efficient and resource-saving solutions.
We also chose these two neighborhoods because they were quite different.
Ola: What aspects did you pay special attention to when developing the project?
Tina: Among other things, we wanted to bring our knowledge of wood construction and create new forms of housing to this project. We also incorporated thinking about structures and rational systems that can be easily adapted to wood construction and prefabrication methods.
Our goal was to create social gathering places with a public character both along the waterfront promenade and around the bay, as well as between buildings and courtyards with a more private character.
It was also important to us to bring nature into the project. We created a recreational water park in the center, which would also function as an important element for fostering the regeneration of aquatic life through the creation of artificial means beneficial to sea creatures.
We believe that an important theme of our time is to think more sustainably about coastal development in Oslo - from economic, environmental and social perspectives.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
