Showing posts with label Oslo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oslo. Show all posts
Vulkan
One of the reasons I wanted to visit Oslo was to see all of the sustainable architecture that the city is becoming known for. I was excited to visit Vulkan, which is a new development project that is going up in a previously industrial area on the Akerselva river. Once complete, the development will include a school, a food hall, a hotel, office buildings, a dance hall, and a climbing gym. Parts are still under construction, but it was interesting to walk around and see the buildings that have been built already. A lot of the sustainable details are of course invisible from the outside, such as great insulation, energy recycling systems, and geothermal wells that will heat and cool the entire development.
Oslo Opera House
As befits what's housed inside, opera houses seem to invite exciting and dramatic architecture. The Oslo Opera House is no exception. The structure looks like a pale iceberg lifting up from the dark fjord waters that surround it, at least in the summer. I'm sure it blends into its environment more quietly in the winter.
It was designed by Snøhetta and completed in 2007. Most of the structure is made out of white marble and granite, and it slopes away from the water at an angle that encourages climbing. If you climb up the stairs or sloping surfaces to the top, you are rewarded with a great view of the city and fjord.
There are great details outside...
...and in: an oak interior, panels by Olafur Eliasson.
Out in the harbor is Monica Bonvincini's floating sculpture 'She Lies'.
Until next time!
Closer to home, Snøhetta designed the SFMOMA expansion, which is currently under construction.
It was designed by Snøhetta and completed in 2007. Most of the structure is made out of white marble and granite, and it slopes away from the water at an angle that encourages climbing. If you climb up the stairs or sloping surfaces to the top, you are rewarded with a great view of the city and fjord.
There are great details outside...
...and in: an oak interior, panels by Olafur Eliasson.
Out in the harbor is Monica Bonvincini's floating sculpture 'She Lies'.
Until next time!
Closer to home, Snøhetta designed the SFMOMA expansion, which is currently under construction.
The Thief
Tjuvholmen ("Thief - Islet") is a small peninsula jutting out into the Oslofjord. It gets its name from its bleak history - this was where criminals were taken to and hanged in 18th century. But currently it's the site of a big revitalization project and a lot of interesting architecture.
Oslo Botanical Garden
For my trip to Oslo, I found a room through Airbnb and stayed with a woman and her infant son who turned out to be very sweet hosts. The apartment was close to the Botanical Garden, so that was my first stop when I woke up jet-lagged.
Though it was late on a Monday morning, I saw lots of people on my walk to the garden. Specifically, lots of women and children. Each park I passed was filled with women playing with their kids, sunbathing while their infants slept next to them, and pushing strollers.
My host told me about a recent policy that assigned children to state childcare starting in September. Over the past couple of years, everyone has adjusted by timing the birth of their children to be around August. That way parents have a year of time off and can then sign up for childcare when they return to work. Armed with this new information, I was on the lookout. Indeed, most of the children I saw were either very very young or else older than a year.
I can't imagine what it will be like growing up for these children. Almost every birthday party will fall within a few weeks of the year. Will there still be exchanging of presents? Will it be easier for schools to adjust teaching materials for kids who are all closer in age? Will kids not born in the summer months think they were accidents? Anyway, *important* questions.
Stepping across a pond.
I spotted a bush of these white berries(?), which I call 'white poppers' but don't know the real name of. If you step on one, it pops, and that somehow feels really satisfying. It's almost like nature's version of bubble wrap.
The greenhouses were closed that day but it was still fun to look inside and imagine what it would like to visit them in winter when everything is dark and cold out.
Though it was late on a Monday morning, I saw lots of people on my walk to the garden. Specifically, lots of women and children. Each park I passed was filled with women playing with their kids, sunbathing while their infants slept next to them, and pushing strollers.
My host told me about a recent policy that assigned children to state childcare starting in September. Over the past couple of years, everyone has adjusted by timing the birth of their children to be around August. That way parents have a year of time off and can then sign up for childcare when they return to work. Armed with this new information, I was on the lookout. Indeed, most of the children I saw were either very very young or else older than a year.
I can't imagine what it will be like growing up for these children. Almost every birthday party will fall within a few weeks of the year. Will there still be exchanging of presents? Will it be easier for schools to adjust teaching materials for kids who are all closer in age? Will kids not born in the summer months think they were accidents? Anyway, *important* questions.
Stepping across a pond.
I spotted a bush of these white berries(?), which I call 'white poppers' but don't know the real name of. If you step on one, it pops, and that somehow feels really satisfying. It's almost like nature's version of bubble wrap.
The greenhouses were closed that day but it was still fun to look inside and imagine what it would like to visit them in winter when everything is dark and cold out.
Walking around Oslo
There was a lot about Oslo that fit well with the things I value: sustainable design and appreciation of nature, cleanliness and efficiency, and a love of good coffee and smoked fish. The city was beautiful and I could walk around late into the night because it never seemed to get fully dark.
Walking by beautiful old facades in simple colors. There were a lot of reds and blues and whites and grays. And a lot of large windows to let in as much far-north light as possible. In this respect, the newer buildings fit right in.
Enjoying bits of green space. Two-thirds of Oslo is made up of protected green space and only the inner third of the city is developed. Even in this "dense" inner third there are a lot of parks, smaller open spaces, and tiny patches of green.
Admiring the beautiful light at sunset.
And then the dusk that lingered until after 11pm.
Walking by beautiful old facades in simple colors. There were a lot of reds and blues and whites and grays. And a lot of large windows to let in as much far-north light as possible. In this respect, the newer buildings fit right in.
Enjoying bits of green space. Two-thirds of Oslo is made up of protected green space and only the inner third of the city is developed. Even in this "dense" inner third there are a lot of parks, smaller open spaces, and tiny patches of green.
Admiring the beautiful light at sunset.
And then the dusk that lingered until after 11pm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)