Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects Reveal New Campus for Norway’s Largest Geotechnical Specialist Community

Exterior View. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has revealed the design of a new campus complex for the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Norway’s largest geotechnical specialist community, to be built in Northern Oslo.

The 30,000-square-meter (323,000-square-foot) complex will be comprised of two new buildings linked by a common entrance podium and a series of elevated walk- and bikeways. Aimed at housing up to 300 new employees, the NGI is envisioned as a new “knowledge axis” that will spawn increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the coming years.

Atrium View. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

The buildings will house “sustainable and flexible frameworks” for staff and visiting clients to attract new start-up companies both inside and outside the geoscience industry. The architecture inside will cater to these formal and informal meeting with a open yet dynamic layout. Approximately 20 percent of the campus will be open to the public, including cafes, shops, meeting spaces and an expansive new green space that will integrate into the existing neighborhood.

“The campus is designed with a modern expression and a strong identity with respect to its context,” commented Kim Holst Jensen, senior partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen. “The campus buildings will stand prominently in the local skyline and will reciprocate the voluminous Ullevål Stadion, Norway’s national football stadium located directly across the street.”

Sketch. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Section. Image Courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

The larger of the two buildings will be organized around a central, “panoptic” space to create visual connections between each of the floors, allowing researchers to glance into the advanced laboratory work taking place throughout the building. Other program elements include a dining hall, offices, meeting rooms, courtyards and below-ground parking.

Large, framed opening direct views out of the building, as well as allow an abundance of natural light to penetrate into the interior, while green roofs, terraces and solar panel systems will clad the horizontal surfaces of the exterior. The entire complex is striving for high environmental sustainability standards in accordance with the Breeam NOR environmental certification.