FORNEBU HALF-DAY BIKE TOUR
This is a pleasant and easy bike tour to the former Oslo Airport at Fornebu, ca. 7 km to the west of the city center. Most of the route is along inlets of the Oslo fjord, on generally level ground. The tour starts at the Rådhusplassen Square (City Hall), a spacious waterfront pedestrian precinct with views towards Oslo City Hall (arch. Arneberg & Poulsson 1930-50), and the new National Museum of Art (arch. Kleihues & Schuwerk, 2021) at the former West Railway Station, now also the site of the Nobel Peace Prize Museum.
We bike along the Aker Brygge project, the first modern waterfront development in Oslo from the 1980s, and the adjacent more recent project Tjuvholmen, featuring the Astrup Fearnley art museum (arch. Renzo Piano 2012). We then follow the bicycle main route to the west, by the Frognerkilen and Bestumkilen inlets, with views of the Bygdøy peninsula.
Fornebu was the airport of Oslo from 1939 to 1998, and is being transformed into a new urban entity, which will have more than 10.000 housing units and 20.000 workplaces when finished. Information about the history of the area, masterplan of the development, and infrastructure. We go past the old control tower, which is now a historical monument, and through the central Nansen park, a waterpark with solutions for water cleansing (landscape arch. Bjørbekk & Lindheim 2008 / water engineering Atelier Dreiseitel). The local shopping mall, Fornebu S (arch. AMB 2014), also features 81 flats with a large roof terrace. The project was the world’s first shopping centre to achieve the BREEAM-NOR Outstanding environmental classification.
This tour will include some architectural attractions, like the Equinor (formerly Statoil) office (arch. A-lab 2012) and the old terminal hall by arch. Odd Nansen from 1964, today part of the Technopolis incubation center for new IT-companies (inside visit possible during office hours), which was expanded with new buildings in 2009 (arch. A-lab). Still, this tour will concentrate on new housing projects, schools and kindergartens and fjord promenades, and on sustainability issues. A large part of the former airport has been turned into landscape parks, especially along the main runway, today this is a valuable recreational area for local residents, including new beaches and bathing facilities. In nice weather, this is a great place for a refreshing swim.
We follow the same route back to the city center.
| Duration: |
Ca. 4,5-5,0 hours, incl. coffee break, but not lunch. Lunch in this area is possible, one should then add ca. 1,0-1,5 hours to the program schedule. |
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| Transport: | Rental bike | |
| Services: | Experienced local architect as guide, meet and greet at pick up point | |
| Languages: | Scandinavian, English, German | |
| Group size: | Max. 30 pax | |
| Price: | Please contact us for a quote | |
| Not included: | Consumption at restaurant / cafe |
