The creation of a campus
Kristiania University College’s new building sprawls like a tree of knowledge, creating a spectacular internal atrium within its core. Its façade is a clear break in a row of historic facades from the days of King Christian IV. Generous window niches adorn the ground floor, where the bustling life of the tree of knowledge welcomes people in from the city streets. There is a long term plan for making Kirkegata a shared-use street, and the dynamic student atmosphere will inspire to new life and activity around the clock in this neighborhood.
The social activities are placed in the zones facing the atrium, while classrooms are placed screened-off near the exterior walls to provide them with optimal daylight conditions. Continuing the tree metaphor, a wooden crown sprawls over the roof, where green plants adorn the roof terraces. Similarly, the top roots dig through the walls and create social zones on the street level. The deep roots are entrenched in the ground level, where a striking auditorium reveals itself. Here we find the root of the knowledge.
Transformation from factory building to creative hotbed
Looking at the west wall facing the rest of Barcode, certain angles will give the impression that there are no window panes. It looks as if there are only holes in the brick wall, much like the arrow slits on the roof. By retracting the windows and placing them in a brick frame without visible molding, the bricks become an active part of the interior. The original idea was to retract all of the windows in the same fashion. But on the south façade this proved difficult. If retracted, the large window panes would come in conflict with the diagonal framework.
«Grønn i svingene» exhibits how you can present the customers with a new identity using elements on a larger or smaller scale. The innovative solutions on the construction level are accompanied by newly designed uniforms and a running track around and through the store.
