Oslo to boast first sustainable airport city

Oslo, whose airport already boasts what is considered the world’s greenest terminal, has announced a masterplan for Oslo Airport City (OAC), a new model for a sustainable smart city designed by Norwegian practices Haptic Architects and Nordic Office of Architecture.

With ambitions to become the “first energy positive airport city,” the 4 million-square-meter (988-acre) development, built adjacent to the airport, will be powered entirely by renewable energy and equipped with the capacity to sell surplus energy to surrounding buildings, communities, and cities. It will also be serviced by driverless electric vehicles.

Part of the government’s shift from an oil-based economy to one powered by renewable energy, OAC will function as a “test-bed” for a city driven by smart technologies, incorporating programs like autonomous vehicles, auto-lighting, and automated mobility, waste, and security measures.

In addition to its impressive clean energy initiatives, OAC hopes to be a livable city and a destination for leisure activities, with a central public park, a car-free city center, and public transportation no more than five minutes away for every citizen. Large green spaces are also planned for the airport’s growing workforce, which is expected to increase from 22,000 to 40,000 by 2050.

OAC will take 30 years to build, with construction of the first stage expected to begin in 2019-2020. The airport plans to operate its first electric fleet starting in 2025.

“This is a unique opportunity to design a new city from scratch,” director of Haptic Architects Tomas Stokke said in a statement. “Using robust city planning strategies such as walkability, appropriate densities, active frontages and a car free city centre, combined with the latest developments in technology, we will be able to create a green, sustainable city of the future.”