{"id":480649,"date":"2026-03-17T16:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/480649\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:32:11","slug":"nordic-office-of-architecture-creates-government-quarter-in-oslo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/480649\/","title":{"rendered":"Nordic Office of Architecture creates government quarter in Oslo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Norwegian studio Nordic Office of Architecture<\/a> has created a collection of interconnected ministry buildings for the New Government Quarter on the site of the 2011 terrorist bombing in Oslo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nordic Office of Architecture<\/a> collaborated with local studios Haptic<\/a>, Scenario<\/a>, and I-d Interi\u00f8rarkitektur & Design<\/a> to create a masterplan that consolidates the government ministries into a “single, flexible campus”.<\/p>\n

The development is situated on the site of the Regjeringskvartalet government quarter, which was severely damaged during a terrorist attack in 2011 that killed eight people. This informed the studio’s approach aimed at creating a campus that is simultaneously public-facing and secure.<\/p>\n

\"ViewNordic Office of Architecture has created the New Government Quarter in Oslo<\/p>\n

“The New Government Quarter is conceived as a ‘design for democracy’, reopening the heart of Oslo’s political centre while uniting the ministries in an open yet secure civic landscape,” said Nordic Office of Architecture founding partner Gudmund Stokke.<\/p>\n

“It creates a cohesive campus that reconnects with the city through new public routes, green spaces, and architecture that symbolises transparency, resilience and national identity,” he told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“Security is embedded discreetly into the landscape and building forms, through integrated barriers, controlled vehicle access and clear sightlines to avoid overt fortification,” added associate partner Fredrik Haukeland.<\/p>\n

\"D-BlockIt comprises seven interconnected ministry buildings<\/p>\n

The campus encompasses five new buildings and two restored buildings built largely from locally-sourced Larvikite stone and timber.<\/p>\n

Three of the seven buildings have been completed as part of the project’s first phase, alongside a series of interconnected public spaces.<\/p>\n

Uniting the buildings internally are a network of bridges, atria and shared areas, dubbed the Collaboration District, that connect the ministries on the first floor and facilitate circulation between the buildings.<\/p>\n

\"NewA 51-metre-tall atrium is adorned with an artwork by Outi Pieski<\/p>\n

According to the studio, the newly-built A-Block and restored H\u00f8yblokken were designed as the campus’ “front line”, with their forms intended to symbolise different eras of Norway’s political history.<\/p>\n

“Each building reflects the architectural language and political ideals of their respective periods,” said Nordic Office of Architecture studio partner Knut Hovland.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Gridded<\/p>\n

Frida Escobedo designs HQ with “subdued monumentality” for Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

“Their juxtaposition shows the evolution of Norwegian governance, representing the post-World War era and the establishment of the social democracy with equality for all,” Hovland continued.<\/p>\n

Defined by its angular and gridded form complete with expansive glazing, A-Block opens up to a 51-metre-tall atrium adorned by a monumental, birch-lined artwork by artist Outi Pieski.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorThe D-Block features a sculptural timber staircase<\/p>\n

Glazed bridges link the A-Block to the adjacent H\u00f8yblokken building, which has been fitted with wood-lined interior.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, behind this, the newly-built D-Block will sit alongside three buildings that are yet to be completed to form a “quieter backdrop” for the campus.<\/p>\n

Beyond its rhythmic facade, D-Block features a sculptural timber staircase crafted with local builders to achieve its double-curved form.<\/p>\n

\"CirculationThe buildings are connected by first-floor bridges<\/p>\n

Other spaces set to be completed as part of the development include the 22 July Centre, a public museum and learning space dedicated to the attacks in 2011.<\/p>\n

Additionally, two existing plazas have been revitalised and will be complemented by the Regjeringsparken park designed with landscape architects SLA<\/a> and Bj\u00f8rbekk & Lindheim<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Frida Escobedo has designed a bayside headquarters for the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/a> and Shalom Baranes has presented an updated design of the proposed White House ballroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Hufton+Crow<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Norwegian studio Nordic Office of Architecture has created a collection of interconnected ministry buildings for the New Government…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,71106,167181,167182,4160,32887,40339,40340,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-480649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-government-buildings","tag-haptic","tag-nordic-office-of-architecture","tag-norway","tag-oslo","tag-sectionall","tag-sectionarchitecture","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}