Editor at Morgenbladet, Gaute Brochmann, was given an exclusive tour at the construction site of the new Government Quarter - read his reflections on the architecture of the new district in the heart of Oslo

The architects point and explain, while the craftsmen buzz around us. For them, it’s just another day at work. But for me, this is a strange and charged experience: The last time I was here, on an early summer evening in 2011, the passage between the High Block and the Y Block was just another urban space. A rather beautiful and always quite deserted shortcut between Ullevålsveien and Youngstorget.

Then, the most terrible single event to hit Norway in our lifetime occurred. Thirteen years later, walking through the security gate on Akersgata feels like lifting a barrier tape and visiting a crime scene. A kind of ground zero that divides the story of our Norway into a before and after the terror attack on July 22, 2011.

This is how many will likely feel when the entire city is soon allowed into the Government Quarter. Nevertheless, life will soon return to the new streets, squares, parks – yes, an entirely new district – in the heart of Oslo. We joined Statsbygg and the architects at Nordic for an exclusive sneak peek inside the fences: Here is a status report

[Translated from the Norwegian article, published in Morgenbladet 12 April 2024]

Read the full article and see more images on Morgenbladet (paywall - in Norwegian)