Built to last

Anyone who has ever been to Oslo has almost certainly stood on the roof of its incredible opera house. If you extend your gaze a little beyond the roof, you will discover an equally exciting urban residential area, that is in symbiosis with art, culture and nature.

A new urban residential area

Munch Brygge is an urban residential area in the heart of Oslo, at the end of the Oslo fjord and between the Munch Museum and Opera House. With 152 residential units, a nursery, and numerous shops and restaurants on the ground floor, this residential project satisfies the needs of modern city dwellers.

Projectt Munch Brygge -01, brick Linnaeus Betula Munch — © Photographer Bård Gundersen

Homes with attention to detail

The choice of colours and materials were a key consideration in the planning process: The neighbouring district of Bjørvika is dominated by monotone, grey prefab walls with little colour. By way of contrast, the red brick façade of Munch Brygge was intended to bring warmth to the area and, at the same time, stand out from its surroundings as an instantly recognisable, coherent development. The building materials were chosen for their weight and texture, and to emphasise the monolithic character and clearly defined edges of the building.

The architects wanted to incorporate a number of visual surprises, varying in size, into the building, and the choice of materials was perfect for this. For example, the entrance spaces incorporate patterns from the façade and, here and there, seating facilities project from the wall. “Munch Brygge has been built to last,” say the planners from Lund+Slaatto Architects. One hundred years from now, the building should still have the same aesthetic quality and functionality. This requirement was another reason for choosing durable and low-maintenance materials which retain their appearance over the years.

Prosject Munch Brygge-02, brick Linnaeus Betula Munch

Project Munch Brygge - 06, brick Linnaeus Betula Munch — © Photographer Mariela Apollonio

Let’s meet at the fjord

The public areas of the housing development have spaces for private and community fruit and vegetable gardens. There are also compost bins and decorative gardens. The roofs are planted with plants, grass and sedum (or stonecrop) to help keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer. Another reason for the greenery was the absorption of rainwater which prevents local flooding.

Wooden terraces and strips of planting provide access to the Oslo fjord creating a sophisticated space for relaxation, where residents can greet visitors to the area. Special care and attention went into the greenery on the roof and in the courtyard.

The design aimed to create endless variety of vegetation: green spaces, shrubs and trees, and climbing plants up the façade. The Scandinavians have demonstrated that modern, urban development does not have to exclude nature, but can incorporate it into future living.