The City Council of Oslo approves plan to build Campus Ullevål

– Campus Ullevål will be a lighthouse for innovation, an arena for collaboration and knowledge sharing, and a very important contribution to the innovation district Oslo Science City, says CEO of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute - NGI, Lars Andresen about the City Council's yes to the detailed zoning plan for Campus Ullevål on Wednesday 27 April.

– In order to carry out our mission, it's crucial for NGI to get new and larger premises. In addition, Campus Ullevål will have a size and function that will enable us to develop collaboration with other contributors in research, innovation and business, says Andresen.

– Climate, energy and the environment are a key focus area for Oslo Science City. It is gratifying that NGI now can realize its ambitious plans for Campus Ullevål. This will be an important contribution to the development of an internationally leading innovation district in the middle of Oslo, says CEO of Oslo Science City, Christine Wergeland Sørbye in a comment.

In addition to NGI, it is already clear that the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) will be part of Campus Ullevål.

More than an ordinary office building

Campus Ullevål will be a center for research and innovation. In addition to office space, the building will have advanced laboratories and other research infrastructure, including demonstration facilities and pilot projects. Part of this will be open to the public.

– NGI researches and develops solutions for business industry and society, so that we build, live and travel on safe ground. We are world-renowned for our laboratories and our expertise, but we have grown out of the old office premises in Sognsveien 72 in Oslo. Now we will get premises that are large enough and flexible enough to ensure future-oriented activities and that enable collaboration with other professional environments, says Andresen.

– Strengthened competence in sustainability and climate

The Vice Mayor for Business Development and Public Ownership in Oslo, Victoria Marie Evensen (Labour Party), believes that being able to gather competence environments in Campus Ullevål is important.

– It is good that NGI gets the opportunity to gather and develop important and socially beneficial expertise. We see that innovation and collaboration become easier when peple and environments come together. This is the very basic idea behind the innovation district. Campus Ullevål will undoubtedly strengthen the competence in sustainability and climate, Evensen says.

The chairman of the Urban Development Committee in the Oslo City Council, James Stove Lorentzen (Conservative Party), welcomes the new building:

– The investment in Oslo Science City is a future-oriented and very important issue for Oslo. Possible future challenges, known and unknown, are best solved in close collaboration in competence-heavy clusters. Here in central Oslo, we have a unique opportunity to bring universities, hospitals and research institutions together with private business and industry to create great value for society. Campus Ullevål will be an important player in this vision.

From parking to square and meeting place

With Campus Ullevål, the current car park and building will be replaced with squares, meeting places and a Campus building of approximately 38,000 square meters in usable area – where almost one third will be under terrain. The building will have three heights. The tallest building will be 41.8 meters, the others significantly lower. The building acquires strong sustainable qualities in the form of architecture, city floor design and choice and use of materials. The shape of the building addresses the needs of NGI and other users. It also takes into account neighbours and the surroundings so that the shadow falls on traffic areas and at the same time screens against noise from the adjacent Ringveien (Ring Road) with heavy traffic.

– Instead of today's large parking lot, we move the cars underground. We create a publicly accessible city floor in the form of a lush green square, with small shops and opportunities for play and learning. It will give the Ullevål district a boost, says CEO of Campus Ullevål, Siri Steinbakk.

Builds and researches in parallel

Globally, construction accounts for about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-friendly buildings are therefore crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In connection with the upcoming construction project, NGI and NIVA, in collaboration with the construction industry, will test and demonstrate solutions for, among other things, environmental geotechnics, the utilization of ground heat and the management of surface and residual water.

The demolition of the current NGI building will start this summer, and it is assumed that Campus Ullevål will be completed in approximately three years.