The fortress-like compound in the forest at Huseby is the current American Embassy, opened on 15 May 2017. It replaced the elegant Saarinen building downtown that no longer met post-9/11 security standards. The $228 million project was designed by EYP Architecture and Engineering and built by the Walsh Group of Chicago.
Getting to this point was a political battle. In December 2005, Oslo City Council approved the location with the slimmest possible majority. Residents fought the decision bitterly, arguing that it would permanently close off a beloved recreation area in Husebyskogen, a patch of forest near Makrellbekken metro station that locals used for walks and skiing. The fact that an embassy is by definition a potential terror target only added to the opposition. The design itself drew criticism too; the architects said they were referencing Akershus Fortress and Mortensrud Church, but many Norwegians saw it as an unwelcome bunker in their neighbourhood.
The embassy did achieve LEED Gold environmental certification, with green roofs, restored seasonal streams, and a ground-source heat exchange system. Whether that makes up for cutting a fortress-shaped hole in the forest is still debated in Oslo.
Getting to this point was a political battle. In December 2005, Oslo City Council approved the location with the slimmest possible majority. Residents fought the decision bitterly, arguing that it would permanently close off a beloved recreation area in Husebyskogen, a patch of forest near Makrellbekken metro station that locals used for walks and skiing. The fact that an embassy is by definition a potential terror target only added to the opposition. The design itself drew criticism too; the architects said they were referencing Akershus Fortress and Mortensrud Church, but many Norwegians saw it as an unwelcome bunker in their neighbourhood.
The embassy did achieve LEED Gold environmental certification, with green roofs, restored seasonal streams, and a ground-source heat exchange system. Whether that makes up for cutting a fortress-shaped hole in the forest is still debated in Oslo.