In collaboration with Haptic Architects, Nordic Office of Architecture has developed one of Norway's largest urban development projects, Oslo Airport City AS, founded on sustainability and smart technology. The project has now been nominated for the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards 2019.

Oslo Airport City is nominated in the category for Future Project: Masterplanning. The project is a new model for a sustainable “smart city” with over one million square meters of new buildings and ten thousand new skilled jobs in offices, retail, recreation, and a conference center.

This will be one of Norway’s largest urban development projects and is part of Gardermoen Business Park, with more than 5000 acres and four million square meters of mixed-use space. Oslo Airport City AS, in collaboration with Haptic Architects and Nordic Office of Architecture, has developed a long-term, robust, and credible master plan, based on sustainability and smart technology.

The master plan focuses on public transport solutions, self-driving cars and buses, new and renewable energy sources, and a flexible plan where buildings can easily be transformed for alternative uses in the future.

Thor Thoeneie, CEO of Oslo Airport City AS, says, “Planning and ‘building in’ flexibility is very sustainable, but unfortunately something many forget or omit since it represents an initial cost that does not pay off until many years after completion. For us, long-term thinking is part of the strategy, and therefore it is also crucial to collaborate with tenants and users who share our environmental ambitions.”

The project is well underway, and the first buildings are in the planning stages, including a new hotel and conference center in collaboration with Haut Nordic, a showroom for Porsche’s new electric car initiative Mission E - Porsche Taycan, and new park and landscape spaces. A new zoning plan is being developed, and the first buildings are expected to be completed in 2021/22.

The project has a special focus on sports and outdoor activities, with a new planned park stretching through the entire area with pedestrian and bicycle connections to all sub-areas in the plan. The park connects to existing and planned activities such as the Modern Activity Center’s wind tunnel (also designed by Nordic), a new climbing park, and a new lake in the center of the plan.

Tomas Stokke, partner at Haptic Architects, says, “On behalf of the architect team, I am very proud that Oslo Airport City has been nominated for this prestigious international award. The project will set a new standard for sustainable and forward-looking urban development, and we are happy to spread this message to a larger audience.”

The World Architecture Festival takes place from December 4-6 in Amsterdam. It is a unique forum where architects from around the world can share knowledge. The projects are evaluated in presentations to a jury consisting of leading professionals from around the world.

For more information about Oslo Airport City, please contact:

Thor Thoeneie, CEO, Oslo Airport City AS – 950 39 911

Tomas Stokke, Partner, Haptic Architects - +44 790 367 4709