Filipstad

Karres en Brands, together with 3RW and S333, has performed a study regarding the potential of the former docklands of Filipstad in Oslo. The location is part of a restructuring of the entire ‘Waterfront’ of the city. The assignment was to design a new district as an extension of the downtown area, while maintaining the Ferry Terminal and a large park on the water.

The plan provides space for 460,000 m2 of offices, housing, and facilities. In creating an ‘island’ from the area, the identity of the place is enhanced and a pleasant face for the city is created. The new waterway connects the plan in a natural manner with (green) routes that ‘depart’ the city towards the fjord behind. With its length and robustness, a new, eight-hectare park refers to the scale of the fjord. The park is not a green space in the classical sense of the word: it is a ‘built landscape’, a canvas where a diverse programme can take place. Within the framework of public space are diverse spheres. The intimate inner world of canals, docks, ramps, stairs, squares, and narrow streets forms a welcome contrast to the openness and grandeur of the fjord. The character of the island is further emphasised by a compact urban fabric, in which the Ferry Terminal is incorporated