Degree of Freedom together with SAAHA, Lala, and Gether won the architectural competition for the development of Nydalsveien 32B in Oslo. The project is a FutureBuilt project with ambitious goals for both the urban environment, architecture, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy management.
The purpose of the competition was to develop a proposal for how the historic industrial building in Nydalsveien 32 could be preserved while new housing was built and opportunities for an active city life were created.
The winning proposal “I love Nydalen” creates a robust and flexible framework for the project’s future development. The central nave is transformed into a greenhouse, a community room where residents can meet with each other and the public. This is Nydalen’s grand hall for both summer and winter. With low temperature active house concept, the building’s nave can hold a Mediterranean climate all year round. The project creates a lush, green space; an attractive destination; a room with unique qualities for all inhabitants and guests of Nydalen, all year round. Already in late February with a few hours of sunshine, energy can be harvested and stored, thus our nave becomes an energy factory.
The idea for the construction was to maintain the existing brick walls in the old industrial building and construct the new buildings inside the old façade. The goal was to use an efficient, adaptable, and lightweight construction system for the new parts and maximize the use of sustainable materials, thus the main construction systems was proposed in solid timber elements – CLT-panels – to form the vertical walls and floor panels of the various constructions.
Structural engineering during architectural competition.