Hille Melbye Arkitekter is currently in the midst of designing a sustainable and modern care center at Kjelsås in Oslo.

The project, named Kjelsåsveien Omsorg+, has now moved from the preliminary design phase to the detailed design and implementation stage. Hille Melbye Arkitekter is working for RUTA Entreprenør, which was commissioned for the project by Oslobygg KF.

Kjelsåsveien Omsorg+ will be located in a small-house neighborhood. The facility will include 77 care apartments and cover approximately 10,000 square meters. It will be constructed as a four-story mass timber structure on top of a concrete basement. The building will meet Norwegian passive house standards, achieve energy class A, and generate power through a solar panel system and a geothermal energy plant. Social sustainability is a guiding principle in the design.

“The main focus is to create a building that is tailored to the needs of its residents. They should feel safe while also having access to a rich and engaging environment. They should have the option to watch or be seen, choose between sun or shade, be social or enjoy solitude. This is achieved by designing a combination of open and cozy spaces, both indoors and outdoors, with varying degrees of privacy. The care center and its outdoor spaces should feel like a residential community rather than an institution. The architecture should encourage residents—regardless of their level of mobility—to feel welcome and participate in the neighborhood to the extent they wish,” says architect Matthew Sømme of Hille Melbye.

The activity center, the public park, and the plaza facing Grefsenveien, Myrerskogveien, and Kjelsåsveien will serve as important gathering places for the entire district.

“We are working extensively to ensure the building fits into the local environment. To achieve this, we have broken up the volume and facades with both horizontal and vertical variations. The building’s height and footprint have been carefully designed to align with the scale of the surrounding buildings,” says Sømme.

The historic Swiss-style villa currently on the site will be relocated and preserved, allowing it to take on a new life adjacent to the public park. The entire project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026.