Ulsholtveien 31 sits on a ridge at Furuset, with views toward Groruddalen and Lillomarka behind the new buildings.

Ulsholtveien 31 sits on a ridge at Furuset, with views toward Groruddalen and Lillomarka behind the new buildings.

The kibbutz where Haugen grew up, had wide concrete stairs to sit on and play in. The many stairs in Ulsholtveien 31 are inspired by them.

All residents share a garden, laundry room and bike workshop.

All residents share a garden, laundry room and bike workshop.

The interiors also invite the residents to interact.​

Ulsholtveien 31 features extensive use of cross-laminated timber. The new buildings have passive energy standard. Solar cell panels provide electricity.​​

The original main building now contains nine apartments and a common area. All supporting structures and exterior walls have been reused.​

At the roof during building with the architects and FutureBuilt.

At the roof during building with the architects and FutureBuilt.

Architect Dan Zohar at the building site.

During construction.

Site plan.

Site section.

​Long section, building A. 1. living room, 2. bedroom, 3. study, 4. common room, 5. technical room, 6. storage.​​

Cross section building A

Ground floor plan.

First floor plan.

Loft.



Article by Solveig Nygaard Langvad

Haugen/Zohar architects have designed apartments for local youths at Furuset, a Groruddalen neighbourhood in the district of Alna in Oslo. The client, Stiftelsen Betanien, has run a family centre on the property for years. The exisiting building, Furuhuset, now has nine apartments and a 60 sq.m. common area. Two new buildings house 27 apartments in varying sizes.

– We wanted to work on this project for three reasons, says architect Marit Justine Haugen.

– One was the ambitions for living quality. The other was the emphasis on community. The third is that it is a FutureBuilt pilot project, with a CO2 reduction of 50 percent.

The balance between new solutions and familiar ones was always under consideration, Dan Zohar explains.

– The greatest challenge might be the immaterial layer of the project: How do you create a good living community?, he asks.

The architects hope to do so by providing spaces for people to meet and interact. The buildings all face a central lawn, and all residents share a garden, a laundry room and bike workshop. The common area in Furuhuset can be used for parties, events, communal meals and other social activities.

– Our social mechanisms have been the same for 2000 years. People need to belong somewhere, and to feel proud to be part of a community, Zohar says.