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Wesel District / Vigsnæs+Kosberg++ Architects
Text description provided by the architect. Wessel Quarter is a new mixed-use residential and commercial development located in the center of Asker, Norway. Asko is one of Oslo’s main suburbs, with a lively and compact city centre. The project land is the last piece of undeveloped land in the center of the town, close to the train station, and has a strategic location. The project aims to redefine a clear urban neighborhood despite fragmentation. The volume has been adapted to the height of surrounding buildings and maintains and enhances the alignment and landscape along existing roads and paths.
The project adopts a more rectilinear shape towards the street, but is softer towards the center of the block, with an undulating facade. This allowed the project’s interiors to be fine-tuned to maximize sunlight and views, and to offer a variety of apartment types.
The central part of the project rises to 7 storeys, plus a roof garden, while the outer parts of the project range from 2 to 5 storeys depending on the surroundings. The uses are mixed, with shops and restaurants on the ground floor, offices on the first floor, and apartments on the second to sixth floors. Car parking as well as service and technical facilities were moved underground.
The exterior is clad in bright, sand-colored bricks, giving the building a bright appearance while establishing a connection with the surrounding brick-dominated buildings in the town centre. The façade is connected by a band of relief masonry around each floor. Wherever there are balconies and terraces, the ribbons are perforated, giving the façade rich detail that changes with the changing light throughout the day.
The lightness of the bricks is complemented by the extensive use of oak, both in the cladding and window frames on the first floor and in all the exterior ceilings. Additionally, the project includes a central park known as the “Pharmacy Garden”, named after the former pharmacy on the site. Accessible from all directions of the block, this green space provides an intimate and peaceful retreat, addressing the previous lack of such facilities in Asker.
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