Quote:
Originally Posted by Pavlov's Dog
I live in Oslo and work in the middle of the new barcode area so I can give some feedback on the situation here.
The primary reason we don't build tall in Oslo is the fact that we are at 60 degrees north and the shadow of a tall building would be massive in the middle of winter. Development in Norway is very sensitive to sun exposure and having a southern exposure is highly valued as it gives a lot of free energy in a country where the ambient temperature seldom exceeds 70 degress.
I disagree with the notion that the mid-rise architecture in Oslo is great let alone good. The buildings in barcode are very long and thin with only a small frontage along the main boulevard. The other three sides are mostly devoid of stores and anything appealing to pedestrians. The distance between buildings is minimal so there is a major wind tunnel effect along the long sides of the buildings. Also office workers can pretty much see directly into the offices of other companies and see what's being presented on screens in meeting rooms. For some idiotic political reason there is an apartment building smack dab in the middle of the office buildings. Their office neighbors can see if they've made their beds, see what they're watching on tv and what they're eating for dinner. In my opinion Portland is doing a much better job with office buildings than Oslo.
There is a lot of good to great mid-rise 6-10 floor housing being built in Oslo though although most of it is condos unlike Portland. Pretty much all new housing construction in Oslo also features balconies that are large enough to have a table and four chairs around. Personally I can't fathom why this is not common in Portland as well.
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That is actually some great insight on Oslo, I can see the similarities with Portland when it comes to access to the sun at street level. That has been a major factor on building heights for a while in Portland due to its small blocks and limited sunny days, as well as protected sight lines as well.
I honestly wasn't talking about the architecture of the barcode (which I love that name because it is so fitting for that cluster of towers) at the street level, I was more talking about it in the skyline affect and overall look of the architecture. Without experiencing it at street level, Google maps can only tell me so much. Personally I care more about how buildings interact with the street level than how tall they are or even what they look like as buildings because that is how almost all of us interact with architecture is at the street level.
The mid rise buildings in Oslo is what really fascinates me because for the most part, I like the architecture, and I like how the buildings interact with the street level. That is why I am more than happy to see buildings in Portland being 5-10 stories high rather than 400ft+ towers being built. I do agree with you about the balconies, I think a lot of new buildings that have been going up in Portland lack large balcony space and that isn't good. Having people have outdoor space with their apartments and condos should be an essential part to this city because we are a city that is very connected with nature and being able to breathe outdoor air.
There are a number of factors that go into why we don't see more condo buildings going up in Portland because for the most part the city is still a single family house city. It is also harder for developers to get loans for condos after that last recession; we will probably see developers doing condo conversions with their apartment buildings in the future when the next condo craze picks up. We also need to move away from this idea that only the most expensive things should be built, developers are more interested in building to the high end market rather than the middle class market. As the cost of single family homes rise in the city, the availability of affordable condos should rise as well. It should be easy for a middle class family of four to afford a condo with 2-3 bedrooms and a large balcony if they cannot afford a single family house. Instead we are seeing there be little price difference between the two.
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