Residential Building in Oslo

 - Sabine Drey

Timber buildings are rather uncommon in the hip quarter of Grünerløkka in Oslo. Alliance architecture studio created a five storey residential complex here. The front and rear parts of the building feature a facade clad in pine that fits perfectly into the urban context, despite a prevalence of stuccoed brick buildings. Its urban appeal results from an arcade on the ground floor and the very homogeneous and precise impression of surfaces. For the facades, the architects selected a type of carbonised cladding, structured into horizontal and vertical sections. This resulted in the differentiated design of the dark surface, including glazed balustrades as well as reveals and soffits in contrasting colours. Along the street, the building is structured into two components that relate to the height of the bordering buildings.

Residential Building in Oslo
Along the street, the pine facade was carbonised by employing the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban charring method in order to make the wood more durable. © Melissa Hegge