A-Lab adds pixelated tower with a hollow centre to Oslo's new waterfront development
A huge terrace appears to have been carved out of the pixelated body of this mixed-use building in Oslo by Norwegian firm by A-Lab – one of the buildings that make up the city's waterfront Barcode Project (+ movie).
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
Named The Carve, the 15-storey complex is the second of three buildings in the high-rise development that will be occupied by financial company DNB, following the pixellated headquarters building completed by MVRDV in 2012.
A-Lab, whose projects include an office complex resembling a pile of horizontal skyscrapers, was given a long and narrow plot to create eight floors of offices and seven levels of apartments.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
Under the conditions of the masterplan, the architects were also obliged to create terraces and gardens that equate to 50 per cent of the building's overall footprint.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
They achieved this by hollowing out a section of the building on the upper levels, creating a generous sheltered terrace that also helps to break down the overall mass of the structure.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
"The mixed program is structured compacting the flexible office spaces in an efficient machine and optimising the views and outdoor spaces of the apartments around a raised, covered garden," said the design team in a statement.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
The exterior of the building is clad in non-rectilinear slabs of white marble that create the illusion of a three-dimensional surface. To contrast, recessed facades are covered in timber panels.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
"Borrowing the body analogy, the materiality of the building can be analysed in its three layers: skin, muscle and bone," said the architects.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
"The white Spanish marble represents the skin. The incisions in this shape reveal the composite wood panel surfaces – the muscle. And at last the opening through the covered garden exposes the hefty steel structure – the bones relaying the massive vertical forces back towards the ground," they said.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_14.jpg)
A public passage cuts through the middle of the building at ground and first-floor level, accommodating entrances to the residential floors. It also links up with a route that passes through all Barcode buildings to connect them with Oslo station and the city centre beyond.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
Like MVRDV's building next door, the office floors were designed as an "open landscape" of cellular offices and large break-out spaces that allow for a flexible variety of layouts.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
The thick facades ensure the spaces are well-insulated, but also allow enough daylight to permeate the interior.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_20.jpg)
On the residential levels, the storeys are tiered to create space for rooftop gardens on each level, many of which offer grand views of the Oslo Fjord.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_19.jpg)
"The lack of visible structural elements in the housing levels – except for the glass elevator – was a battle worth fighting for," said A-Lab. "This early design control allowed for a clearer hierarchy regarding material use and project expression."
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_18.jpg)
The Carve and its neighbouring Barcode buildings form part of Oslo's developing Opera Quarter, which will eventually become the city's new Central Business District.
![The Carve by A-Lab](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/The_Carve_by_A-Lab_dezeen_468_17.jpg)
Photography is by Luis Fonseca, apart from where otherwise indicated.
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