Our remodelling project in Gjettum, a suburb of Oslo, has been granted planning permission by Bærum Kommune. We are now planning building work to start on site in May 2022.
Planning permission for Rudsveien remodel
New office and wood workshop at Kroloftet
We are delighted to have joined the dynamic and eclectic work collective at Kroloftet, in Oslo.
In addition to a shared workspace, we now also have access to a fully equipped wood workshop, including a large-scale CNC router, to fabricate custom-made furniture and fittings for your next project!
We are looking forward to exciting collaborations with the many skilled crafts(wo)men at Kroloftet, whose disciplines include (among many others) metalwork, wood joinery, upholstery, boat building, illustration, film direction, ceramics and puppet making!
Hands-on with traditional arch masonry
A dry stone arch built during the course, under testing!
While working on the restoration of century-old stables in central Oslo, I was invited to take part in a practical workshop on traditional arch masonry. The course was organised by the Norwegian Heritage Association (Fortidsminneforeningen) for mastermasons, handworkers and architects who are involved in the restoration of old masonry buildings in Norway.
We explored the complete process of building traditional stone arches, using both dry stone techniques and traditional brick and lime mortar masonry, Over five intensive days, we built from scratch five different types of arches, starting with the design and fabrication of the formworks, the preparation and mixing of traditional lime mortar, the shaping of natural stones and, finally, the erection of the arches themselves.
This was a fantastic opportunity to learn new practical skills to develop our continued interest in historical buildings, as well as to network with talented craftsmen from all over Norway, for future collaborations.
You can admire the completed arches in Oslo’s Medieval park (Middelalderparken), next to the ruins of St Mary’s Church.
Ever dreamt of giving a new life to an old building?
Roof garden under construction
After getting planning permission more than a year ago , the roof terrace we designed on top of a residential building in central Oslo is finally under construction. The work on site is taking place under a “roof over the roof”, so that the construction of the new staircase and roof garden can take place with minimum disruption to the inhabitants.
Samba in the stair
Following our complete remodel and extension of their cabins in Hvitsten, overlooking the Oslo Fjord, our clients asked us to also fit an extra living space in one of the little annex buildings on the site.
The tiny cabin that we designed accommodates a play space for the children during daytime, a small workstation, sleeping space for two adults and two children, as well as a small terrace for summer breakfast overlooking the fjord. To reach the private sleeping space tucked up over the small living-room, we custom-designed a compact alternating tread stair, called sambatrapp (“samba stair”) in Norwegian, which also doubled as a bookshelves for the desk underneath.
We love working on self-build projects and custom-made furniture, so we were thrilled when our client announced that he wanted to build the stair himself. As with our custom-made screen wall in the main cabin, we developed in collaboration with him alternative designs for the stairs, adjusting the design to joinery techniques he mastered, to produce a full cut-and-assembly manual to build the stairs.
Visualisation for a residential complex
Visualisation for a care centre
Visit to the seaside cabin in Hvitsten
A visit to the summer cabin in Hvitsten we remodelled and extended a few years ago. The little annex cabin and terraced landscape that we have just finished designing are now in the process of being built. The landscaping on this steep site overlooking the Oslo Fjord is really bringing together the different indoor and outdoor spaces, happily used by three generations of families and friends!
A roof top terrace in central Oslo
Having secured planning permission for our roof terrace project in central Oslo, we are now finalising the detailed design, with construction of the staircase extension and roof landscape due to start on site this spring. Above is a quick visualisation we prepared for our clients’ presentation to the residents of the housing cooperative — based on the 3D model that will also be used to communicate all the technical documentations for the construction phase.
Would you like to create new places for your community to meet and thrive?
Our Norwegian branch moves to a new office
Our Norwegian branch has just moved to a new work space, just next to the Oslo School of Architecture and design (AHO).
The new shared work space of our Oslo office (Photo: © Alliance Architecture Studio)
We are delighted to share this new office with three exciting architecture practices:
Here are our new contact details:
2hD Architecture Workshop
Akersbakken 12
0172 Oslo
Norway
Portfolio project
A log cabin in Sjusjøen
For this project, we were tasked to design a new winter retreat on the snowy slopes of Sjusjøen, a popular cross-country skiing resort close to Lillehammer, Norway.
Our clients — a family of five — wanted to create a place to gather their extended family and friends for winter vacations and celebrations, accommodating up to three large families simultaneously — up to 16 people.
Unusually, when our clients approached us, they had already selected a contractor to prefabricate and erect their future cabin, using the traditional log house technique. As they were not satisfied with their existing design solutions, they asked us to develop a custom design, tailored to their specific needs, which would also follow the contractor’s prefabricated construction method.
At the centre of our design, the large kitchen and the sunken fireplace lounge act as the two main gathering places, where guests can congregate around the main focal points of the cabin: the communal dining table and the large open fireplace. In contrast, each family enjoys its own private accommodation wing, branching off from these main spaces, with the sleeping quarters tucked away from the vibrant social rooms.
Between these two extremes, we intentionally convoluted the internal circulations to create gradients of privacy and strings of informal sitting spaces along them, where guests could interact throughout the day, but also giving opportunities for more quiet, private activities.
Each wing can be used independently, so that the effective size of the cabin can easily be adapted to the number of guests.
While the interior of the cabin is intricate and spacious, its exterior maintains the compact aesthetics and typology of traditional log architecture — with its multiple interconnected volumes cascading down the sloped site, each visually expressing the different functions of the spaces they enclose.
Three distinct outdoor spaces are tucked around the wings of the building, anchoring further the cabin onto the site: the sheltered main entrance on the north side with access to ski storage, a sunny south courtyard linking the dining space to the open views, and a private terrace to the west, on which an outdoor bath can be enjoyed in the evening sun.
Our design served as the basis for the detailing and production of the hand-sawn logs that were produced and installed on site by the specialist contractor. The result is a very personal cabin, perfectly suited to the needs of its owners and embracing the tradition of Nordic log construction.
Would you like a cabin that really fits your needs and the nature around it?
The team in our shared Norwegian office
Visualisations for the Mølla Hotel, Lillehammer
Design by Besseggen Arkitekter.
Planning application granted for our roof terrace in Oslo
We have just received planning permission for our roof terrace project on an existing residential block in central Oslo. We will now proceed with coordinating the detailed design with the structural and fire engineering consultants and finalising the tender documents to appoint a main contractor for the project.
Fåvang visualisation
Part of a series of vsualisations for a modular housing development by Besseggen Arkitekter, in Fåvang, Norway.
