New Oslo S

Oslo S Central Station is the gateway to the Norwegian capital – and for many travellers, their first encounter with Oslo and the country itself. Yet the public spaces surrounding it have long failed to live up to that role: feeling worn, unsafe, and disconnected from the surrounding city.

As landscape architects for the New Oslo S planning proposal, SLA has worked to transform the area into a sequence of generous, green, and well-connected urban spaces for the millions of people who pass through each year, and for the Oslonians who live alongside them.

At the heart of the proposal is the upgrading of the square Christian Frederiks Plass and the historic Palé Garden (“Paléhagen”) which date back to the mid 18th century and holds the title as Norway’s first public park. In addition to linking them closely to the surrounding areas and the ‘inner landscape’ of the station building, the plan reclaims them as a high-quality urban spaces in their own right.

The Palé Garden will be reconstructed as a baroque garden with parterres, lime tree allées, gravel paths, and hedged enclosures — restoring a green character eroded over more than a century of urban expansion. The reconstructed Orangery will be reborn as a café and public amenity, anchoring the garden’s northwest corner.

Between the garden and Østbanehallen, new and existing trees will create enclosed zones with seating, play areas, and planting, while preserving the diagonal pedestrian route that crosses the entire square. Views to the fjord and the green hillsides beyond are kept as a defining experience of the place, offering visitors an immediate impression of Oslo’s natural setting.

The entire ground plane is renewed as a coherent, universally accessible surface – barrier-free and designed to support the full range of activity for all: everyday movement, spontaneous gatherings, organised events, and quiet rest.

Connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists runs as a guiding thread throughout. Pedestrian routes are strengthened in all directions, and at Øvre Trafikktorg a new combined stair and ramp creates a generous, landscaped transition between levels — a threshold that doubles as a place to pause and take in the view across the square and fjord.

For cyclists, a bicycle hotel beneath the eastern part of Christian Frederiks plass provides space for 1,000 bikes, with a staffed reception and repair workshop, connecting directly to the station entrance and making cycling a seamless option for commuters and visitors alike.

The plan for the New Oslo S proposes a city entrance worthy of its significance – welcoming, green, and alive with the qualities that make Oslo distinct.

Thus, the new design for Oslo S will add both ‘big lines and small moments’.

Big lines that reconnect the station to the city, the fjord and the wider urban landscape, creating clearer, safer and more intuitive journeys through Norway’s most important transport hub. And small moments that invite people to slow down: to sit beneath a tree, meet a friend, watch children play or simply enjoy a glimpse of nature in the midst of the city.

Together, the new public spaces will transform a long-overlooked part of Oslo into a living public landscape – a place where movement, belonging, history, city nature, and everyday life come together at the gateway to the nation.