With its red brick facade, projecting cubic forms and a black steel external staircase, this development forms the imposing closing ensemble on the skyline of the Oslo fjord. Significantly, the name of the 300,000 m² harbour complex, where 13 narrow north-south structures with various functions soar into the sky, is "Barcode". The final site at the eastern end is tapering on plan, and this became a distinctive feature of the "Wedge" office block. With a length of 70 metres, the slender steel skeleton-frame structure with a facing brick outer skin is just 11 metres wide at its broadest point. The brick skin stands as a self-supporting element outside lightweight insulated walls that are lined with gypsum plasterboard and in which the greatest part of the load-bearing structure is housed. The floor areas have been kept free of columns, thereby ensuring flexible layouts. An insulating layer of hydrophobic mineral wool between the lightweight walls and the brick skin not only protects against mortar bridging. It also conducts off below any moisture that might occur. Because of the narrow layout plan, from the second floor up the discussion spaces project as 3 × 3 × 3 metre cubes beyond the outer wall. Precast concrete lintels suspended from steel brackets serve as supports for the external walls of these meeting room boxes, the exposed soffit cladding of which is in the form of prefabricated brick linings. For this purpose, the bricks were halved in height, backfilled with concrete and anchored in the soffit construction with helically ribbed stainless-steel rods.
Above all, start-ups with 15 - 35 employees should find scope for co-working in the "Wedge". Over a total open office area of 1,700 m², informal contact is encouraged. Room-height glazing means that the workplaces are flooded with daylight, and members of staff have views out to the fjord in the south, to Ekeberg in the east and to Bjørvika Bay in the west. Popular meeting places are the canteen with lounge and roof terrace. A pub on the ground floor will enliven the street space and serves to integrate the office development into its surroundings.
In their design, the architects have also taken account of the environment, using durable materials such as bricks, steel and timber. What is more, cycle parking facilities, changing rooms and showers in the basement encourage members of staff to undertake environmentally friendly commuting.
