Haptic and Ramboll conceptualize a novel structure that hopes to eradicate the need for demolition. The timber high-rise construction is built for maximum flexibility and longevity, being able to change its configuration and, consequently, its functions to adapt to the city’s changing needs. The design concept is based on the idea of maximizing the potential of sites in inner-city neighborhoods. To exemplify the regenerative potential of this model, the architects have applied the concept to a tight urban area in the center of Oslo, Norway.
The Regenerative Highrise is built on a modular logic. It has the main structure frame consisting of three-story-high structural decks. Each deck can support either three intermediate floorplates or three levels of versatile pods. This makes the system adaptable not only in the horizontal plane but also vertically. It allows for partitions to be single, double, or triple height spaces, following the desired function, be it residential, office, hotel leisure, or production use.
The triple heigh sky villages, as the designers call them, hope to bring to city centers some of the diversity and sense of community traditionally found in the city’s suburbs. This design concept is also a response to today’s need for retrofitting buildings in dense urban environments, a challenge that encounters significant difficulties in the case of high-rise buildings, often designed for a particular function.
The natural materials bring warmth to the high-rise while also contributing to the lifecycle carbon management of the development. The building core has a maintenance unit at the top capable of lifting the pods and intermediate floors. This function is expected to be used during the whole life span of the building, not just during its construction. The pods also are designed to be moved and reused throughout the building to allow it to be reprogrammed over time, depending on the needs of the city. The building incorporates strict fire safety measures and is supported by centralized and decentralized electrical and maintenance systems.
Haptic and Ramboll exemplify this concept by applying it to the Grønland area, in Oslo. The proposal incorporates a disused motor viaduct into its foundations. This demonstrates how road infrastructure can be reused and reappropriated, allowing it to contribute to the life of the city.
The most exciting component of the Regenerative Tower is the idea of vertical land creation. With the tower, we are essentially producing volumes that can flex and change in use and character with the needs and requirements of the city. This makes sure the building stays competitive and relevant far longer than the normal building life cycle, which also makes it more sustainable - Shonn Mills, Global Director Ramboll High Rise.
For this project, Haptic Architects and Ramboll have been declared the winners of the Tall Buildings category in the 2022 AR Future Project Awards. Previous winners of the award include Allies and Morrison, White Arkitekter, and SOM.
Haptic Architecture, a Norwegian office based in Oslo and London, collaborates with Grimshaw, Nordic - Office of Architecture, and STOP Consultants to design India's Delhi Noida International Airport. Their other recent projects include the Oslo Aquarium in Norway and the Government Headquarters, also in Oslo. Ramboll, their collaborators for this project, is an architecture, engineering, and consultancy company founded in Denmark. They have designed the Pulkovo International Airport in Sankt-Petersburg, Russia, collaborating with Grimshaw and Pascal+Watson, and the Varvsbron Dockyard Bridge in Sweden.
