Student Project, AHO, 2023
with Madeleine Haaland
This project seeks to strategically transform suburban garages. The idea originated from thorough research of the area of Tåsen in Oslo.
Oslo is a city with a growing population and housing problems. At the same time, people are becoming less car dependent. In Tåsen, as well as in many other areas of the outer city in Oslo, garages are situated next to nearly every house. By reimagining the purpose of the existing garage footprints, we can accommodate more residents while maintaining the environmental advantages of gardens, like handling stormwater and contribute to biodiversity. It also allows us to preserve the existing architectural qualities of the area. Our intention is to densify the garden suburb by letting the garages’ footprint become something more: To make use of the flexible space and enable the garage as a housing unit.
A great political focus on cutting CO2 emissions has made Oslo move in the direction of a car free city. With better public transport and car sharing alternatives, the number of private cars is decreasing. Our proposal for the transformation of garages at Tåsen is based on the principle that the project should be adaptable to various plots and situations, and that we keep the flexibility that the garage offers. We are dividing the design into two parts: universal and text – where some parts are universal for all sites, and some are locally adapted. The universal part consists of the whole ground floor and the flat roof. Following our own strategy, we have drawn inspiration from façade elements in the area to create our own version of the Tåsen garage.