Munch Brygge is a residential complex situated at the end of the Oslo fjord, between the Opera House and the new Munch Museum. The project contains 152 apartments and a kindergarten as well as several shops and restaurants at ground level.

The project is based on an urban intervention that creates a visual connection between two urban areas: the city centre and the hillside of Ekeberg. This visual dialogue is established with a diagonal street that generates (creates the foundation and the language for) the further design and organization of the project. The street defines the natural boundaries of the two buildings and at the same time establishes a geometry for the placement of the apartments. In this way, the apartments are oriented towards the sun and the fjord. Large balconies create a natural extension of the private residential units and give a woven pattern to the facades. A similar pattern is to be seen in the bricklaying which creates a play of light and shadow as the sun hits the building.

The choice of building material plays a central role in this project. The neighbourhood of Bjørvika has a grey, monochrome palette, with very few colours. In contrast, the red brick cladding of Munch Brygge brings warmth to the area and at the same time gives the project a defined and cohesive appearance. On the ground floor, recessed bricks create patterns that mark the entrances. Bespoke corner bricks are made to fit the overall geometry of the building, creating a sharp and precise angular expression. Seamless transitions between the brick-clad, angled planes reveals a housing project executed with an exceptionally high level of detail.

The inner courtyards and the roofs are designed with a vast diversity of vegetation: green decks, shrubs, trees and climbing plants that climb along the facades. With a vision of urban farming on the roofs, community-based zones are established for residents for fruit and vegetable cultivation, compost plants, beehives and ornamental gardens. It is also proposed to use sedum mats in combination with solar cells on parts of the roof.

Munch Brygge is a project designed to have the same aesthetic qualities and to be equally functional in 100 years through the choice of robust materials and solutions that will minimise the need for repairs and maintenance. Building architecture of a high quality with robust materials is more likely to be preserved by and for future generations.

Client: StorOslo Eiendom