05.07.2022
Our public life experiments in Oslo are now open
Our Public Life Experiments in Oslo are now ready for visits!
From June until October 2022, cars will be banished from the central streets of Oslo to give room for new urban and natural experiences. The experiments take place at two very different sites: Kirkegata and Gata Grønland.
In Kirkegata, it is now possible to walk from Oslo Cathedral and through 450 meters of ‘urban forest’ with heather, hazel, ferns, blueberries, and 4-meter-high pine trees – along with new informal seating and a safe and attractive cycle route.
The goal of the Kirkegata experiment is to investigate how we can add a completely new type of city nature to the center of Oslo that creates new experiences, a better urban life, and strengthens biodiversity – all with very compact design measures.
“Our goal is to create a city that both feels and functions like a forest. And with the public life experiments in Oslo, we are now taking the first step”
— Kjersti Wikstrøm, Managing Director of SLA Norway.
In Gata Grønland, SLA collaborates with local businesses and citizens to investigate how a different type of people-friendly street can be created. The design of Gata Grønland is inspired by the Norwegian lowlands and has a distinct leafy feel and lush flower meadows together with 5-meter-tall birch and rowan trees. Edible and fragrant herbs and berry plants, such as oregano, mint, sage, and blueberries are planted in the meadow.
Here, citizens and users take back their street, while pedestrians, cyclists, and nature are given priority by maximizing green public space and by making room for urban furniture, outdoor seating areas, and new city nature that invites discovery and play.
The project is done in close collaboration with Bymiljøetaten in Oslo Municipality and Fragment.
Photos by Sigrid Bjorbekkmo
10.06.2025
SLA creates 104 new neighbourhood parks in Abu Dhabi
We are happy to share that we have completed one of the largest urban greening projects to date in the UAE: 104 new neighbourhood parks across Abu Dhabi, designed to improve health, biodiversity, and the everyday quality of life for all Abu Dhabi’s residents.
01.06.2025
SLA and GHD win major design project for Ookwemin Minising
We are incredibly excited to share that we – together with our partner GHD – have won the assignment as prime consultant for Ookwemin Minising: Toronto’s new 39.6-hectare island neighborhood planned for more than 15,000 residents!
23.05.2025
SLA exhibits New Nordic City Nature at Oslo National Museum
Today, the exhibition “New Nordic – Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place” opens at the National Museum in Oslo. SLA and Dyvik Kahlen have made a specially designed pavilion for the museum square – that takes visitors from the Michelin kitchen out into the urban realm. Its roof and landscape are planted with native, edible species from Oslo’s shores and forests, and offers a taste of New Nordic City Nature.