New Kiosk in Frogner Park

Nominated for the 2010’s “Oslo bys arkitekturpris” (Oslo’s Architecture Award), this small kiosk / service building, designed by div.A Architects, proves that it is possible to intervene in classified and very touristic areas without ruining or competing with the main attraction, in this case Frogner Park, originally from the 19th century and one of the most visited places in Oslo.

The small concrete volume houses some public toilets, a souvenir shop and an exterior terrace with fixed furniture. The design process had in consideration several aspects of the garden itself: the simplicity of the volume, the idea of weight and transparency, the choice of apparent concrete (which connects with the granite, main material used in the Park), the pattern of the glazed areas (which follows the lanterns and floor patterns of the Park), etc.

Without creating too many polemics, this clearly new building entered the park and it has that feeling of belonging, of part of the Park without chocking, and time will bring that patine that will allow it to merge in the grass fields and trees.