Architects: Kristin Jarmund Architects Location: Tjuvholmen, Oslo, Norway Building Type: Office building Project Scope: Full Contract Client: Tjuvholmen KS, Eitzen Group Size: 5000m2 Schedule: Completed 2007 Project Team: Kristin Jarmund, Ola Helle, Nils Herland, Patrik Larsson, Leif D.Houck, Marlene F. Andersen, Geir Messel, Line Strand, Aud Randi Astad, Arild Eriksen
The area of Tjuvholmen, on Oslo’s seafront, is now being transformed into an architecturally cutting-edge urbanisation, complete with offices, homes, shops, hotels and a Renzo Piano-designed museum of modern art.
In visual conversation with the new urbanisation, the city and the water, the figurehead Eitzen building sits prominently at the entrance to Tjuvholmen.
The building is clad in a light chalkstone, which gives it an almost ethereal appearance. A sharp, dense facade runs along the main avenue, leading to the heart of the area, while protruding, vertical slabs of chalkstone break the glass facade facing the water. Viewed at an angle this facade appears closed, but from head-on it opens up. The cut corner of the building is airy and inviting where it faces Tjuvholmens’s main acces bridge and unites the two sides.
