Strømmen Verksted

Strømmen Verksted was originally a mechanical workshop that has served as both an iron foundry and a steel workshop over time.

Olav Thon Gruppen acquired Strømmen Verksted in 1996 after the business was decided to be shut down. The area is centrally located between Strømmen Station and Strømmen town center, and is the closest neighbor to Strømmen Storsenter. This provides the basis for development that can add new streets, squares, and buildings to Strømmen town center, reinforcing it as an important urban hub. At the same time, the green structure along the Sagelva river is strengthened with the establishment of a hiking trail along the riverbank.

Phase 3 will be a residential project closely connected to phase 2, but it has not yet been applied for permits. For phases 4-7, building permits have been granted. The planned start of construction is in the fall of 2022.

The buildings are designed as divided volumes, primarily in brick but with accents of lacquered metal plates. With a warm and golden hue as the theme throughout the quarter, and with textures and material qualities that evoke the history of the site, the aim is to create buildings with a calm and unifying character, and with a high degree of variation and relief effect. The building volumes are organized around squares and meeting places, and a network of walkways across and along the new development is intended to ensure good accessibility in and through the area. The architectural design reinforces the town center as an important urban hub. At the same time, the extension of the green structure along the Sagelva river will be strengthened with the establishment of a hiking trail along the riverbank, as well as newly created recreational areas adjacent to it. The main access for vehicular traffic to the area will be from a newly constructed roundabout on Sagveien to an underground parking facility. Access for utility traffic will be at ground level into the planning area via a new bridge over the Sagelva river from Frydenlundsgata. Pedestrians and cyclists will also have access to and through the area from Stasjonsveien and the train station.

The main square in the project is framed by the existing factory building and the residential buildings in phases 1-3 to the north, and the building volume with center functions and residential units above to the south. The entrances to the residences are distributed evenly along the facade, naturally defining the sizes of the commercial spaces on the ground floor. This maximizes the number of shops/restaurants with direct access to the square, thereby enhancing activity in the area. The residential entrances are designed as recessed niches in the brick facade to express these semi-private zones/functions within the public urban environment. The volume with center functions recedes in the facade, creating a rhythm in the facade row facing the square, where the residences are presented as active and easily comprehensible components of the urban environment. The residences are perceived as space-defining elements, with the function of “living” taking precedence. The canopy creates areas for relaxation along the restaurant facades and provides shielding from noise for the residences above.

The residences and the kindergarten are situated above the commercial areas and have their outdoor spaces on the roofs of these buildings. Each of the buildings is designed as separate units positioned setback and sheltered from the urban environment. All apartments have access to the private rooftop garden, with orientation towards the river landscape. Here, on the rooftop garden on the third floor, the kindergarten finds its natural place, centrally located yet sheltered from the urban life at ground level.

The bathhouse, the largest volume in the context, stands out from the rest of the buildings in form and function, with a program that suggests a need for screening from public view. With limited opportunities to open up to adjacent urban spaces, it invites views and contact across through carefully placed window openings/views carved into the volume. The bathhouse, with perforated, backlit cladding, will appear with varying form and color depending on the season and time of day. In the context of the new and historic brick buildings on Verkstedsgata, upon arrival from Frydenlundsgata, the bathhouse will be a focal point in the urban environment; refined, inviting, and simultaneously sculptural.

The health center, located furthest south in the development, with access both along the river park and towards the entrance from Strømmen station, will be the first encounter with the new Strømmen Verksted for many visitors.

The west facade of the health center and the park frame square T2. The health center is planned to be BREEAM-NOR certified, meaning that sustainable design has been given special consideration. This commitment will be continued throughout the entire construction process until the building is handed over.

The zoning plan for Strømmen Verksted, also developed by Hille Melbye Architects, has provided for the possibility of constructing a future high-rise building with office or hotel functions in the park in front of the health center.