High-Rise Housing Block in Oslo
The master plan for the new urban district of Opera Kvarteret at the centre of Oslo is based on the principle of a barcode: it consists namely of 12 elongated strips laid out parallel to each other between the railway lines and the coastal road. The overall development provides 500 housing units and 10,000 workplaces. In the present 15-storey block, which is 7.80 m wide and 90 m long, there are two floors for commercial uses and 13 residential storeys, most of which incorporate six flats of different size and layout. Each dwelling has its own balcony – complemented by communal roof gardens – and to ensure a maximum degree of sunlight, all living rooms and balconies have a south-east orientation. The effect is intensified by large glass doors and ceiling heights of 2.70 m.
