The Norwegian studio of Powerhouse, in collaboration with KIMA arkitektur, has won a design competition for the transformation and extension of one of the historical buildings located in the center of Landbrukskvartalet. Known as the Agricultural Quarter, a former farming and industrial site in central Oslo, the area is now scheduled to go through an urban revitalization process to be transformed into an active neighborhood based on the design philosophy of ‘new meets old’.
The winning design aims to extend beyond the boundaries of a single building in order to create a careful insertion within the historical context of the agricultural quarter. The resulting project creates two structures joined together, featuring several key aspects such as efficient housing, slim high rise, and well-balanced construction. The proposed slender high-rise building creates a visual reference point while not overpowering the existing urban landscape.
By taking into account Oslo’s skyline and the character of the local surroundings, the architectural intervention aims to create an “efficient core that seamlessly coexists with the existing structures.” Historical qualities of the existing buildings are also taken into account and referenced through various architectural elements while maintaining the standard for contemporary living conditions.
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Powerhouse Company, Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem Win the Competition for the Rotterdam Central LibraryThe competition represents a bid for the first project planned as part of the urban redevelopment of the site. The Landbrukskvartalet, located in Schweigaardsgate 34 in Gamle Oslo, represents a large-scale urban development aiming to densify and bring key functions and amenities to the area, which is a fringe zone between several new developments, the Oslo S traffic hub, and the historic old town of Oslo. In March 2023, the Oslo City Council approved the planning proposal for the entire Agricultural Quarter, a project that began in 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Recently, Powerhouse Company, in collaboration with Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem, has won another competition for the renewal of Rotterdam’s Central Library, a landmark building from the early 1980s designed by Van den Broek & Bakema. The architecture office has also designed THIS., a new mixed-use development in Amsterdam’s North District, as well as the new IBM Headquarters, also located in Amsterdam.
