Tjuvholmen – Lille stranden 3

In an area where every building try to affirm itself, this one, designed by Kari Nissen Brodtkorb, actually takes advantage of its central position in Olav Selvaags Plass to create an exciting moment in the city through this play of volumes and colours and the spatial situations given by the different heights, even though private, enter and are visually assimilated by the public sphere. This effect would have been even stronger if the trees on the terraces were as big as shown in the initial renders.

To avoid closing the triangular site with a sharp-edged building that would create a way to strong impact in the square, it was chosen instead to play with smaller volumes and to create some openness in the building. This way, it was produced a dynamic and complex spatial relation between private and public, open and closed, light and shadow. Also, through the use of different materials and colours on this “public facade” a dramatic / playful sense was included in the building, while the facade to the backward is more serene.

Following the general master plan for the area, the ground floor accommodates shops and 2 restaurants, and in the 10 upper floors there are 63 apartments with areas from 46 to 182m². Unfortunately, the apartments’ internal organization follows the standard, meaning: a tiny bathroom, small bedrooms and an open kitchen/ living room / dining room.