International Museum and Library Design Competition in Oslo Announces Shortlist

At a meeting on September 3, the Oslo City Parliament passed the resolution that the Deichman Main Library, the Munch Museum and the Stenersen Museum are to be placed in the area of Bjørvika in the nearby of other cultural institutions. Yesterday, the RFQ-commitee for the international design competition that was launched for this development unveiled a shortlist of invited architects, as well as prequalified architects that were selected in the first competition phase.

Here is the list of participants to planning and design competition in Bjørvika:

Munch-museum and Stenersen museum – invited architects:

• Tadao Ando - JAPAN
• Zaha Hadid Architects - ENGLAND
• Abalos Herreros Arquitectos - SPAIN
• Foreign Office - SPAIN/ ENGLAND
• Tony Fretton Architects - ENGLAND
• Gigon/ Guyer Architekten - SWITZERLAND
• REX Architects - USA
• Henning Larsen Tegnestue - DENMARK
• Kristin Jarmund Arkitekter - NORWAY
• CODE Arkitektur - NORWAY

• NONAME 29 – SPAIN
• Heneghan Peng Architects – IRELAND
• Nieto Sobejano – SPAIN
• Diller Scofido Renfro – USA
• Kengo Kuma Associates – JAPAN/ FRANCE
• ALA – FINLAND
• Christ Gantenbein Architects og Lie Øyen Arkitekter – SWITZERLAND/ NORWAY
• Sauerbruch Hutton – GERMANY
• Ghilardi Hellsten Arkitekter – NORWAY
• Manuelle Gautrand Architecture – FRANCE

• Toyo Ito – JAPAN
• Xaveer de Geyter Architects – BELGIUM
• Wiel Arets Architects – HOLLAND
• Lacaton Vassal Architectes – FRANCE
• Smidt Hammer Lassen – DENMARK
• David Chipperfield Architects – ENGLAND, Local architect: DivA Architects - NORWAY
• Behnisch Architekten – GERMANY
• LAR/ Fernando Romero – MEXICO
• Snøhetta – NORWAY
• A-lab – NORWAY

• Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten – GERMANY
• Morger Dettli Architekten – SWITZERLAND
• SeARCH – HOLLAND
• Sou Fujimoto, ADEPT – JAPAN/ DENMARK
• Lund Hagem Arkitekter, Atelier Oslo – NORWAY
• Team 3 AS – Jensen Skodvin Arkitektkontor AS, Arne Henriksen Arkitekter
• AS, Arkitekt Carl Viggo Hølmebakk – NORWAY
• Plasma Studio – ARGENTINA/ GERMANY/ ENGLAND/ ITALY
• 70* nord og Dahl og Uhre Arkitekter – NORWAY
• Lundgaard Tranberg Arkitekter AS – DENMARK
• Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten und stadtplaner – GERMANY

From the project description:

Situated innermost in the Oslo Fjord, Oslo is Norway’s capital and the hub of a region with over one million inhabitants. The present-day population of the city is approx. 560 000 and is expanding rapidly. Prognoses indicate a population increase of at least 100,000 within the next twenty years, and the population is developing in a multi-ethnic direction.

Centrally located in Oslo, Bjørvika is close to the country’s most important public transportation intersection Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) and the region’s commercial center. Attractive natural features such as Oslo Fjord, Aker River and Ekeberg Hill, distinguish the district, together with close proximity to cultural monuments such as the Medieval Park, the characteristic Quadrature town layout as well as Akershus Castle and Fortress.

Great efforts have been made since 1982 to find sound, future-oriented urban solutions for the town and centre development in Bjørvika. This process resulted in a development master plan that was finally approved by the Ministry of the Environment in 2004. Since then, among other events, the opening of the National Opera and Ballet has met with resounding success, and the motorway tunnel under the bay will be completed by 2010. The master plan’s main traffic artery in the future will be the public transport and pedestrian boulevard “Dronning Eufemias gate”. This street will also be open for vehicular traffic and will connect the urban districts Quadrature in the west and the Old Town in the east.

The master plan stipulates that Bjørvika is to be developed with seven public areas areas (allmenninger/ commons). These will be attractive public spaces, reserved for pedestrians,that will connect the existing rearward-situated town with the Fjord, crosswise from the new development areas.

The competition area is adjacent to the European Highway network, Oslo Central Station, the airport express rail terminus and the bus terminus, as well as the Metro and tram network. When finally completed, the area together with the buildings comprising this competition and the Oslo Public Library, will form the surroundings and background for the new Opera House to the north and east. At the same time, the competition area will mark the connection eastwards to Bispevika, which will have a somewhat different urban function than Bjørvika, with a larger proportion of residential accommodation.

The sites making up the competition area, comprise approx. 16.000 m2 in total. In accordance with the current development plan, these sites can be developed with approx. 50.000 m2 T-BRA. Of this,
the Munch Museum will comprise approx. 22,000 m2 T-BRA and the Stenersen Museum approx. 5,000m2 T-BRA. The evaluation of the parallel assignment “The Opera House Surroundings“ concludes that it is both feasible and desirable to redistribute some of the building volume under the terms of the development plan, even in the zones lying within the competition area. However, there are some specific restrictions as found in the competition basis for the planning and design competition, and which will be clarified during the kick-off seminar.

Final winners of the competition are expected to be announced in Spring 2009.

Images: Hav Eiendom AS, Snøhetta