DECOMMISSIONED AIRPORT TRANSFORMS INTO SCHOOL AND CULTURAL CENTRE
02 May 2023
From flying high to hitting the books, Norway’s first airport is to be transformed into a new school and cultural centre that will meet the needs of the expanding community and provide a creative and educational space for students and the public to enjoy.
Norway’s historical and decommissioned airport in Oslo is undergoing a major transformation from an airport into a school and cultural centre known as Tårnkvartalet. Selected from a pool of bidders, the winning design went to Haptic Architects and PIR2 for its sustainable plan that meets the environmental standards outlined in the FutureBuilt criteria. 
The new development will include a secondary school that will accommodate 900 students and an assortment of community, creative and hospitality spaces such as a community centre, theatre, sports complex, library, health clinic, skate park, workshops and restaurants.
Constructed from recycled brick and sustainably-sourced wood, the new school and cultural centre will directly engage its indoor spaces with the outdoor landscape providing areas, such as parks and an amphitheatre, for students to participate in outdoor learning and for the community to sit and wander around the complex’s green spaces. 
Taking into consideration the heritage of the site, the plans will respect the legacy of the airport by providing a new life and purpose to the 1940s air hangers by revamping them into recreational spaces such as workshop stations, artist studios and TV production facilities.
Tårnkvartalet is a sustainable and innovative project that demonstrates how under-used sites can be transformed into spaces that a community can enjoy once again. 
Images Haptic, PIR2 and AestheticaStudio via InHabitat
