Stovnertårnet - Stovner tower
Norway's most inclusive landscape project
The lookout tower at Stovner is an emerging wooden walkway, where the public gets a view of the city of Oslo. The project has been named Norway's most inclusive innovation project for landscape architecture.
When the project landed on the drawing board of the landscape architects in LINK Arkitektur, the idea arose to design a floating walkway rather than a traditional tower building. The trip up is experienced as a walk among the treetops, where two can walk together up the hill. The road up along the walkway is universally designed - accessible to people on foot and wheels and provides a view of Groruddalen's hills, trees, and buildings, with the Oslo Fjord on the horizon.
When the road is the goal
Plateaus along the walkway allow more people to sit together, relax and enjoy the view. The design of the tower is inspired by the bird's flight into the air where the plateaus are their bird nests, and the pillars that support the walkway are gently placed in the terrain. The glulam posts can be reminiscent of branches or tree structures and are adapted to the ground and the existing trees so that the least possible intervention and damage occurs.
Railings have a height of 1.30 meters, which provides both real security and an experience of security. The lighting in the tower emphasizes the concept and the circular movement. It helps to ensure that the local area is perceived as safe and accessible. Design, choice of materials, and safety are prioritized in the project and load-bearing structures are placed as gently as possible in the terrain. As part of the experience in the tower, a dissemination project has been established.
Stovnertårnet was named category winner of landscape architecture in the Innovation Award for universal design 2020. DOGA is behind the Innovation Award for universal design on behalf of the Ministry of Culture.
Development of Stovner district
The project is part of Områdeløft Stovner activity park 'Jesperudjordet for alle'. The purpose of the enterprise was to provide the area with an outstanding attraction that could become a destination for the district and Oslo. The Urban Environment Agency and Bydel Stovner wanted the tower to be so high that you could see the sea and have a universal design. The tower is beautifully situated on historic grounds on Fossumberget, as part of the local hiking network and thus easily accessible.
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