News
A recent article in Bergens Tidende, one of Norway’s largest newspapers, gives details on the development and design of “Smartby Montana”, the office’s experimental green neighbourhood. Initiated in 2018, the project is an ongoing collaboration between 3RW, electric energy company Eviny (owner of the plot), and housing group BOB Eiendomsutvikling. The piece reports on our sustainable vision for Montana, which is set to be the city’s most climate-friendly neighbourhood. Illustrations show key features of the 130 residential units that will sit on the grounds of Eviny’s old transformation station. Small wooden volumes and green pockets surround the historical building from 1927, with the kindergarten and Orangerie visible in the site’s upper area. Outdoor gardens, stairs and different façade openings make for a small-scaled, “tun” composition that softly ties the mountain to the existing urban grid.
Interestingly, a mention is made of other architectural proposals submitted for the competition, which envisioned block apartments and large terraced volumes for the Montana site; leaders of the project comment that 3RW’s use of smaller, traditional houses was “best suited for the area”. When putting our submission together, we debated the best typology to fit the brief – while we understand that there are space and energy associated with the “enebolig” form, we trusted that it could be modified to fit a green, future-oriented lifestyle. Flexibility, intimacy, and a respectful placement of volumes on the Ulriken hill were key drivers in the design. Yards, alleys and squares make for a pleasant, multi-scale experience for inhabitants and guests.
As noted in the article, the parking capacities of “Smartby Montana” are a hot topic. We plan to achieve our ambitious target of 0,6 parking spaces per 100 square meters of housing, a target supported by large bike parking and car sharing, and improved public transit connections to the city centre. Upcoming environmental challenges indicate a shift in movement and lifestyle, and the architectural infrastructure at Montana exemplifies one possible, exciting way of thinking about the houses and neighbourhoods of tomorrow.
The project’s webpage is here. People with a BT subscription can read the article here, in Norwegian.




