The line between work, study and leisure is about to be much more blurred. Due to Covid19 the landscape has changed, working and studying from distance is now a normality. Our office, or study room, will probably be much more mobile, which brings us to the question of how student housing will look like in the future. Diagonale in Oslo consists both out of offices and student housing, and the building is described as a part of the modern Oslo – let’s find out why.
What will be important for future student housing? Being close by to great lecture halls or teaching spaces will probably not be on the top priority list – the pandemic made us much more flexible when it comes to the physical infrastructure of teaching. However, one of the important aspects when it comes to student housing are still physical spaces that encourages social interaction. Tenants at Diagonale are right in the middle of a city center were there’s a wide range of culture, restaurants and shopping. Diagonale is located as central as it gets. Besides being right in the city center, tenants also get access to their very own oasis – a big roof top terrace. From there, you get a beautiful view of the entire city. According to studies, having students living in urban areas contributes to a positive effect on the city life. Student housing is a tool for sustainable cities, and it creates safety, life and movement. Not only does student get to be right in the center, they’ll also be close to nature. A few minutes off, they can rent a kayak, go swimming or take a hike in Ekebergsparken where they’ll experience both nature and culture. There’re also possibilities for urban agriculture. Diagonale consists out of two blocks, one is a 9 storey office building and one is a student housing with 308 apartments. They are bound together through a lower floor with facilities such as parking. Solid materials and well thought through solutions are concepts that has been well thought of. The office part of the building achieved the sought after BREEM-NOR classification Very Good, and both blocks are energy class A.
Architect: Lund Hagem Arkitekter, Atelier Oslo
WICONA solutions: WICTEC EL SK (based on WL75)
Pictures: bygg.no v/ Arve Brekkhus