TechNoLimit
“I
t is abitmad, but it’snot crazy,” says
NicolaiRiise,CEOat architecture
companyMADarkitekter, referring
toamodel of theextremely slimMAD-
building. In its scaled-down form, it looks
almost exactly likeaCD case. “The siteat
Bjørvikawas sonarrow that everyone toldus
itwouldbe impossible tobuildhigh-quality
housing there,”he continues. “That just
spurreduson.”
TheMADarchitectshavedefinitely
succeeded, constructinga 13-storey,
54m-highapartment building,witha footprint
of just 7by90m. For suchanarrowbuilding,
it certainlypacksapunch.Unlikeother
buildings in theBarcodedevelopment
andBjørvikaarea, thearchitectshave
incorporated technology togive theMAD-
buildinga façade that looks spectacularand
is entirely functional.
Thewood-panelledexterior isdraped in
perforatedaluminium,with in-built sliding
screens thathelp to shield theapartment’s
balconies inallweathers. “Everything that
makes theMAD-buildingbeautiful is there for
a reason,”Riiseadds.
Inorder toensure that passers-bywill stop
and takenoticeof the impressive structure,
themastermindsatMADarkitekterdecided
toaddanunusual feature in thenarrow
area just outside thebuilding.Highlighting
the company’sbelief inanewOslobasedon
sustainability, and the importanceof a carbon-
neutral society, theentirearea isfilledwith
“apelotonof bike-shaped, light-up cycle
stands.We like to thinkof it asaTourde
Future, agreen race toabetter tomorrow,” says
Riise.And there’snothing crazyabout that.
mad.no
Everything thatmakes theMAD-building
beautiful is there fora reason
Hiddenbetween theofficesof
Oslo’sBarcodedevelopment in
Bjørvika, is thecity’sslimmest
apartmentblock
Mad about
Oslo
MAD arki tekter
Photosby JiriHavran
