The Carve, Oslo, Norway



Architect
a-lab arkitekter
Date Built
2014
Location
Bjorvika
Description
The Carve is, what the architect describes as, an, "... untraditional high-rise apartment building, part of Oslo’s Barcode Plan. Enveloping a narrow strip of 21m by 105m (with a maximum height regulation of 54m) the white marble and wood panel clad building embodies a mix-use complex totaling 15 stories. The first 8 floors are designated office space, topped off with residential program, in a total of 22,000 square meters."  The Barcode development involves a series of buildings arranged in parallel along Dronning Eufemias Gate close to Oslo's waterfront.



The building design compacts the flexible office spaces and optimizes, "...  the views and outdoor spaces of the apartments around a raised, covered garden. The public passage that cuts through the first two levels facilitates ... a pedestrian route through all Barcode buildings and generates the space for the separate entrance to the residential floors, connecting them directly to Oslo Central Station and the central arteries of the City."



"The private terraces offer spectacular views either to the Fjord or to the City. The lack of visible structural elements in the housing levels (except for the glass elevator) was a battle worth fighting for, with the challenge highlighted by the North-European climate requirements – regarding both temperature (energy, cold bridges) and structural loads (snow)."