With a unique, prominent position in the urban landscape of Oslo, the Tryvann Tower is an existing TV transmission tower high up on the forested hills surrounding the city. Launching the idea of developing a new Tryvann Tower, MAD Arkitekter envisioned a tower with an elegant and bold design, placed in the same position as today’s tower. The new Tryvann Tower would be both higher and more spacious, giving increased room for a public program. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Two separate circumstances have led MAD Arkitekter on their own initiativeFirstly, today’s Tryvann Tower has been closed to the public for the past eight years. The tower had a high degree of functionality when it was designed, but it no longer satisfies technical, access and fire safety criteria. In 2012, the City of Oslo Agency for Urban Environment voiced the possibility of building a new tower to replace the existing one.
Secondly, a few months before this, it was decided that Oslo should begin the process of applying to host the Winter Olympics in 2022. These two circumstances are, strictly speaking, unrelated. Nonetheless, an interesting synergy can be brought into play by looking at the whole context simultaneously.
At MAD Arkitekter, we are convinced that a new Tryvann Tower can be the physical symbol of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Up until now, discussions on the Olympics have been focused on the location of the various events, the generative effects of hosting the event and reuse of the facilities in the aftermath of the Olympics. A visual symbol can be the compelling factor that sparks off enthusiasm and ensures the event will have a positive physical consequence for the city.
On a clear day, one can see all the way to Sweden, and the tower is equally visible from eastern and western areas of the city. The new Tryvann Tower deserves to be given a combination of form, content and accessibility that constitute a concrete, positive contribution to the city. It should be an element of beauty in the city’s green periphery as well as a destination for visitors.
The tower should contain a good restaurant, a sky-bar, an observation deck, a TV studio and conference facilities. The TV studio would be the main sports-broadcasting studio during the Olympics and other future sporting events. In addition, the tower could contain services for people using the forest, such as a ski-waxing booth, a kiosk and toilet facilities, on the ground floor.
Architects: MAD Arkitekter
Location: Oslo, Norway
First Tryvann Tower: 1867
Second Tryvann Tower: 1883
Third Tryvann Tower: 1934, 18,5 m high
Today’s Tryvann Tower: 1962, 118 m high
New Tryvann Tower: Complete 2020, 150 m high
Program: Observation deck, Sky-bar, Restaurant, Café, TV-studio, Conference facilities
Year: 2013
