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University of Notre Dame London Summer Program 2001
in association with Stiftelsen Byens Fornyelse and The Foundation for Urban Renewal, Norway Press Release - 2 August 2001
1. Introduction A series of proposals for the site made during the last four years have raised issues of the appropriate scale and character of development which the student proposals attempt to resolve. The proposals presented today represent an attempt to learn from the lessons of history in developing an attractive, low rise, walkable neighbourhood linking the existing Oslo city centre with its historic origins in Gamle Byen in both scale and character.
2. Existing Site Conditions At the centre of the Bjørvika harbour, site the Paulsen Kaia flanking the outlet of the river Akerselva is currently vacant. To the east, the long Sørenga Pir is occupied by a container terminal. Adjoining the Olso Sentral station a large area lies vacant with a surface motoway interchange. At the foot of the Ekebergåsen hill, a large area is occupied by railway yards and motorway bridges. On the site of the original Viking settlement of Oslo - Gamle Byen or Old Town - archaeological remains exposed by excavation lie amongst abandoned railway yards and vacant sites. The legacy of motorway development - now abandoned and removed - is visible in fragmentary remains of traditional urban building. Soil conditions over the site are extremely poor, with up to a hundred metres of loose silt overlying bedrock in some areas.
3. The proposed design An interconnected grid of streets allows a multitude of routes through the urban quarter and between key elements. All dwellings are designed to be within a ten minute walk (400 metres) of a neighbourhood centre containing all facilities necessary for essential daily needs. A new station on the østfold Bahn railway is proposed at the foot of the Ekebergåsen, serving a new neighbourhood centre nearby. A second small neighbourhood centre is created close to the new Opera House and the reopened Akerselva River. The third neighbourhood centre is created by reinforcing the existing centre near the corner of Bispegata and Oslo gate. Roads are generally no wider than necessary to accommodate local traffic with parallel parking on one side. Foot traffic is privileged by the creation of wide pavements and tight corner radii. Development is composed in 3 to 5 storey blocks built to the street alignment, with quiet garden courtyards on the interior of the block. Parking is provided at a rate of 0.5 cars per dwelling. Parks, squares and public gardens are distributed within walking distance of homes. Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools are located within walking distance of dwellings. A variety of sheltered harbours are created providing small boat moorings within walking distance of dwellings. A new residential neighbourhood is created on the Sørenga Pir. The popular swimming basin adjoining Gamle Byen is increased in size to enhance its appeal as a recreational area for families. The new Museum of Oslo is proposed to be located at the head of the water, a short walk from Bispegata and from the new Viking Museum. Existing fragments of urban fabric in the Gamle Byen area are enhanced by infill development to complete urban blocks. The River Alna is reinstated on land vacated by the railway yards at the foot of the Ekebergåsen. A substantial new linear park is created along the reclaimed riverside. An area of characteristic low scale timber cottages is proposed between the existing 17th century timber house on Saxegaards Gate and the reinstated river park. A new wooden church is proposed on the site of the foundations of the Clemenskirken, incorporating and preserving archaeological remains within the new structure.
4. Other Points Existing exposed archaeological remains are preserved wherever they occur. There is no physical construction on top of the underwater tunnel. The natural shoreline of Paulsen Kaia is retained, mainly as a promenade. The freight shipping terminal between Vippetangen and Havnelageret is removed. The international ferry terminal at Vippetangen may be retained or relocated elswhere. The restriction to no more than 3 and 5 storeys allows buildings to be erected on a floating concrete slab resulting in very significant savings in foundation construction over high rise, where very deep piling would be necessary.
5. Statistics for the proposed development 510,000 square metres of new development, comprising approximately 40% residential with offices and retail in a mixed use configuration no higher than 5 stories. This is the same floor area as that proposed in the development scheme by the Planning Department of the Oslo Municipality, and that shown by AHO/LPO, and may be compared with the 740,000 m2 proposed in the DivA/Rogers scheme. All these earlier schemes included buildings of up to 12 stories and higher. Site coverage within the blocks indicated is approximately 50%, resulting in an overall plot ratio of around 2.0. 6. The Project Team
Students
Tutors
Dr Matthew Hardy
University of Notre Dame London Summer Program 2001
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