The project involves a solution for the expansion of the Trekanten shopping centre, and the construction of a new hotel and an office building. For Asker, this is a unique opportunity to have a vibrant city centre where the shopping centre is an active generator of urban life, and where the city hall finds its place in an urban context. For Trekanten, it is an opportunity to contribute to the activity and attractiveness of the urban space.
Rådhustorget (the City Hall square) is a central part of the planning process to create a framework for the buildings and the cultural axis, and it also allows for the possibility to show the buildings in an urban context. The hotel stands out clearly and the new office building will have a representative space adjacent to the main entrance of the hotel. The existing office building (municipal administration) will also be linked to the City Hall. A visual contact is also created between upstairs and downstairs, between the city and Rådhustorget.
The building volumes and their façades are adapted to the directions and dimensions of the buildings in the immediate area, which, creates continuity and street formation. The project is designed to function and find its place in a diverse urban situation. In the surroundings we find two orthogonal directional systems, City Hall, and Culture House. In the project, these are intertwined and form a natural transition from one to the other.
The complex form of the project constitutes a very favourable plan structure for the office buildings. The bright areas along the façade are allocated to the work zones, providing an excellent quality of workplace with both daylight and views of the surroundings. From the central social area, there is a visual connection to each of the three glass courtyards. For the hotel, the façade is used all the way around for hotel rooms. A compact figure is established with an open area – a new atrium. This also gives a nice variation in adjacent walkways.
Asker centre is characterized by brick, both in new and old buildings. Playing on this seems very natural and is an obvious opportunity to further develop the entire city centre. It is planned to use brick and timber as façade materials and solid timber for the structure. It should be perceived as attractive to move along the façades, and one should feel that they are welcoming and attractive. A variation between dense brick walls and open glass sections contributes to this articulation, both socially and commercially.
Structural engineering during concept.
