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    • 11 November 2022

      New Studio in Oslo is the Creative Heart Uniting all Offices in Norway

      Henning Larsen has become a part of Oslo's cityscape. Behind large ground-floor windows that invite the city in, lies an innovative and playful workplace.

    • On November 10, the ribbon was cut at Henning Larsen's new studio in Kongens gate 11, Oslo. Customers, business partners, industry colleagues and employees came together to celebrate our new presence in the city centre. The event was attended by Oslo’s City Council Secretary, Rasmus Reinvang , Parliamentary Representative Ola Elvestuen, and Managing Director, Mette Kynne Frandsen and Global Design Principal, Louis Becker.

      In 2021, Henning Larsen became a national player in Norway with 10 offices in Oslo, Drammen, Fredrikstad, Tønsberg, Kristiansand, Arendal, Lillehammer, Bergen, Trondheim and Alta. The new studio will be a vibrant and creative workplace and community that invites collaboration.

      “In the wake of the pandemic, we see that our customers have a great need to gather around the worktable. Our philosophy is that we innovate and research with our customers in workshops. A studio on the ground floor with space for creative processes is exactly what we need,” says Karoline Igland, Business Development Manager.

      The evening's debate was entitled “Dear city. Are you cold?”. The conversation started with the premise that inclusive, safe urban spaces are always important when developing cities, and become even more pertinent when the world around us faces uncertain times. Professor at OsloMet, Rune Halvorsen opened with a speech on loneliness and community in the city. He emphasized that we need architecture that lifts the people, not just the city - prioritizing non-commercial meeting places and pretexts that put people in contact with each other.

      The panel included Oslo’s City Council Secretary, Rasmus Reingvang, Parliament Representative Ola Elvestuen, Snøhetta’s Landscape Architect, Jenny Osuldsen and Henning Larsen, Global Design Director, Urbanism & Landscape, Signe Kongebro.

      “Cities are about the dream of what we would like to be as a society. The cities' greatest attraction is not the buildings, but the spaces between them. To make these spaces attractive, we must think of solitude and community as design drivers that give direction to the architecture,” says Design Director, Signe Kongebro

      Hilde Nordskogen, Henning Larsen, Country Market Director, Norway, underlines that city developers must take our share of the responsibility for developing inclusive cities. A city that cares about the individual and facilitates community and cohesion.

      “For us, this is about how the built environment can support a good life for everyone. We must ask ourselves: who are we building for? Who have we forgot? What type of urban space facilitates an increased quality of life? Only then can we be sure that we are building for the community as a whole. People's mental health and wellbeing are inextricably linked to how we succeed with our cities. We have the expertise and desire to develop socially sustainable communities, and thus a responsibility to ensure that the city takes care of its residents.”

      "Henning Larsen has been on a journey in Norway. From working on a few large projects, to being a national player which delivers integrated design solutions for architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism with local and global roots,” says Kasper Kyndesen, Design Director, Henning Larsen

      In Oslo, Henning Larsen has recently been given the opportunity to develop a preliminary project for the new upper secondary school at Diakonhjemmet. In addition, we have drawn up proposals for one of the sub-areas at Grønlikaia – the fjord city's last prime location. Soon we can reveal which other major projects we will be involved in going forward. But first we look forward to inviting the customers in for creative interaction in our new studio!

       

      Photos: Melisa Fajkovic