WALDEMAR'S GARDEN
Program: 50,000 m2 housing
Client: Armada Eiendom
Location: Hauchs gata, Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway
urban densification
WALDEMAR'S GARDEN
urban densification
Program: 50,000 m2 housing
Client: Armada Eiendom
Location: Hauchs gata, Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway
© Nils Petter Dale/DARK
Situated along the Akerselva river in Oslo, the goal of the Waldemar's Garden apartment complex was to maximize urban densification without sacrificing light, air and access to nature.
Like other of Dark's housing developments, Waldemar's Garden employs variations in height to flexibly accommodate the needs of its inhabitants, as well as to promote accessibility to the surrounding landscape and urban life.
© Stein Arne Andreassen/DARK
Six high concrete towers clad in bright metal plates and two lower blocks clad in brown brick work together to form a playful facade. The lower volumes relate to the scale of the neighboring buildings, while the higher towers step back from the street, where they are less visible from Hauchs Gate and Darres Gate.
© Nils Petter Dale/DARK
The project is marked by a strong emphasis on green spaces; to the east, the complex is bordered by the dense vegetation of the Akerselva river park, where residents can access a path to the centre of the city. Dark describes the river's edge as "an urban linear park connecting the city centre with the forest outside Oslo, where one can hike from the fjord to deep forest through the city without ever losing contact with nature."
© Nils Petter Dale/DARK
The 237 residential units of Waldemar's Garden range from 36 to 125 square metres, the larger of which are designed around the concept of "large cube containing a small cube", allowing light to pass through all ends of the flat. Though layouts vary, most units have balconies that face the river.
© Christian Roth Christensen/DARK
© Christian Roth Christensen/DARK
