Ben Storey
Urban projects always involve diverse stakeholders, from politicians to developers, engineers, and contractors—all bringing their own goals and perspectives to the table. For this reason, it’s critical to establish trust and cooperation from the outset.
Oslo’s project—one of Europe’s urban renewal initiatives, a 4.25-square-mile (11-square-km) development—is still in the design stage but is moving rapidly toward breaking ground. When building gets underway, the combined residential-commercial project will create 50,000–100,000 jobs and see as many as 40,000 new homes built.
Overseeing design and delivery for the project’s Økern S Development is global engineering firm Skanska. Working with partner developers KLP Eiendom and Bane Nor Eiendom, along with architects and engineers at Løvseth+partner, NSW Arkitektur, and Dark Design Group, Skanska is advancing designs for several builds near the central area shopping and living area. Cloud-based design and collaboration tools, such as Autodesk Forma, have made it easier to balance diverse interests and negotiate a shared path to profitability.