Furuset hageby, Oslo

3RW and Nord architects won the Furuset Hageby architecture competition with their entry ”The green village”. The jury considered the entry to be a credible and innovative answer to the village concept and tomorrow´s requirements for care home facilities.

In the new facilities at Furuset, which is modelled on a country village, the intention is that residents will have the possibility to continue to live as they previously did. Users and residents will be able to move freely both indoors and out, but within the safety of a protective area. The goal is that patients with cognitive disabilities can continue to live as normal a life as possible. There are significant expectations associated with this concept, including a reduced dependence on medicine, better physical and mental health, fewer care personnel and increased synergies with the surrounding area.

The Furuset Hageby green village uses the sloping site to create different levels which each have their unique identity. The lower level functions as the village´s pedestrian street and contains public activities, while the upper level with its circular pathway offers a restitutional outdoor space for residents. The facility itself is a connected building mass with good internal communication, making effective operation possible.

The competition program stipulated the need for residents to have free access to the outdoor spaces and that these spaces should be shaped so residents can move freely and access a variety of experiences with clear and recognisable qualities. It is critical that users have the ability to easily come back to the starting point within the promenade. The authors of Furuset Hageby have answered the requirements both on the ground level and with generous roof terraces. Six design criteria form the basis of the Furuset Hageby concept: Furuset Hageby will be inclusive, encourage community, look to the future, be active and encourage recreation, be rich with experience and create a good atmosphere.

Furuset Hageby is well adapted to its surroundings while adding a new scale and typology. The project will be designated as a plus-energy building. Technological solutions for energy and environmental impact suggested in the winning competition entry are exciting and are expected to help the project meet this status. These solutions include transparent solar cells in the pergola, wall-integrated CIGS solar cells, solar thermal collector and geothermal heat storage with a reversible heat pump for water-borne heating and potential cooling and energy storage.

More information

• Architects description (www.3rw.no)

• Deception and Design: The Rise of the Dementia Village (Annmarie Adams and Sally Chivers, www.e-flux.com)

PROJECT DETAILS

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