With a reputation for creating bold, simple with a strong connection to the Scandinavian context and the impressive Scandinavian landscape in particular, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter present Pilestredet 77-79 in .

Located between 4 distinctive Oslo city neighborhoods – Fagerborg, Majorstuen, Norabakken and Stensparken, Pilestredet 77-79 is acts as a specific transition in the urban fabric, therefore are the three buildings' architecture different.

The project has been developed on a very site-specific approach. It has elaborated solutions, that primarily refer to the historical context of the neighborhood of Fagerborg, a residential area surrounded by a mixture of villas and row houses from the period 1880–1920, townhouses from the 1920s, a number of apartment buildings from the 1880-1890s and newer apartment buildings. The western part of the area is dominated by Jessenløkken, apartment buildings from the years 1919–1922 in the area of Suhm Street – Kirkeveien (Ring 2) – Gørbitz' street – Jacob Aall Street, and consists of a total of 37 apartment buildings, built in Scandinavian Neo-baroque.

The project unites tradition and innovation in a carefully reflected way and provide good homes that will help to form a qualitative neighborhood. Pilestredet 77/79 has been designed to combine new buildings with a historic environment in an attractive and innovative way.

Through a conscious use of high-quality location and situation-adapted architecture, the aim is to reinforce and develop the inherent identity of the place. P77 becomes an environmentally friendly and urban residential environment with high architectural qualities.

The lower buildings (Pilestredet 79a and 79bB) have a townhouse architectural typology, which gradually withdrawn from the street as they go up Pilestredet and are thus integrated in and create a transition to the city villas with their front gardens in the historical fabric of Fargerborg. They have the same footprint and a principle of alternately four and two apartments per plan.

The bigger volume (Pilestredet 77) designed as a city block, answers the street corner geometry. It defines the end of Fagerborg neighborhood and a transition towards the more trafficated urban fabric of the site, at the meeting with the more urban identities of Majorstuen, Norabakken and Stensparken neighborhoods. It includes six to eight apartment units per floor of different sizes.

The lower floors have several smaller units while the higher ones contain larger apartments. There are varied offers with apartments of different sizes and identities that ensure a complex and diverse community.

Quality and detail in all solutions are emphasized. The buildings have a site-adapted limited material palette with brick exterior.

The use of hand-crafted bricks was the most important aspect of the project architectural facade expression. It is an historical material which can be assemble manually in a very sculptural way and define the project's identity.

The selected have been hand-baked so that they get a very specific structure and rough texture. The façades of the new buildings celebrate long craft traditions, with handmade bricks that play on layers with modern lines, and large windows from ceiling to floor.

The project also has prosperous and well thought internal common areas which create a positive and worthy common framework for the residents. Inside, there is a robust material palette where the cast-in-place concrete walls create a modern but timeless expression together with a warm oak material used for the floors and ceilings and wrapping up the staircase.

The project has an underground level with parking, 4 to 5 floors for a total of 59 residential units, as well as a neighborhood café, which is also designed in order to create a local and inviting gathering place (meeting, afterwork, community evenings…), and can serves the housing complex as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.

All the roofs have garden parcels and are used as attractive outdoor spaces.

 

 

Technical sheet 

Project: Pilestredet 77-79
Type: Residential
Location: Oslo,
Program: New housing with 59 apartments, café and underground parking
Client: Aspelin Ramm Eiendom AS
Size: 7,100m2
Commission type: Invited competition (2015)
Status: Completed (2020)
Architecture firm:
Photo Credits: Ivar Kvaal, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter