The designs for Oslo Airport City (OAC) are by two Norwegian practices Haptic Architects and Nordic - Office of Architecture.
The 4-million-square-metre city is set to be powered entirely by renewable energy, served by electric vehicles and is expected to take 30 years to build. The scheme is being developed by Norwegian development vehicle Oslo Airport City.
The aim is for the city to be ‘energy positive’ with the capacity to sell surplus energy to surrounding buildings, communities and cities. It will also be able to make provision for on-site activities such as the de-iing of airplanes.
OAC is backed by the Norwegian government’s green shift from an oil-based economy to one powered by renewable energy and will embrace low-carbon features and green technologies. The city is intended to be a test-bed for a technology-driven city, with plans to incorporate driverless electric cars, automated lighting and smart technology for services such as mobility, waste and security.
The city is designed to cater for sports and outdoor activities; it has been designed to be destination for leisure activities centred around a public park. A car-free city centre is planned, with citizens never be more than five minutes away from public transport. It will also include provision of green spaces for the airport’s growing workforce, which is expected to increase from 22,000 to 40,000 people by 2050.
Haptic Architects director Tomas Stokke said: “This is a unique opportunity to design a new city from scratch. Using robust city planning strategies such as walkability, appropriate densities, active frontages and a car free city centre, combined with the latest developments in technology, we will be able to create a green, sustainable city of the future. Capitalising on the central location in northern Europe, a highly skilled workforce and proximity to an expansive and green airport, OAC has all the ingredients needed to make this a success. This is the most exciting type of project we can do as architects and I am very proud to be part of it.”
Oslo Airport City has received outline planning consent for development and some of the areas have detailed consents. Construction of the first stage is expected to start in 2019/20, with the first buildings completing in 2022.
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