Oslo likely to demolish tower Breivik bombed

"It's more important to prevent the new government building becoming a deserted fortress than to preserve the high-rise," Bård Folke Fredriksen, Oslo's Commissioner for Urban development, told the NRK news channel, before releasing Oslo's official submission on Thursday. 

 

According to NRK, the council's report argued that any renovation must be compatible with its 'Eastern Alternative', which would reopen Akersgata to traffic. 

 

This would most likely see the tower sacrificed, but save the low-rise H-Block next-door. 

 

"Oslo municipality would like to preserve H-block if it can be reconciled with Alternative East," Fredriksen said. "That means Akersgata must be reopened to traffic, and that we can route traffic through Møllergata." 

 

The fate of the buildings has been a controversial topic in Oslo, with architects and other leading cultural figures arguing the tower, which was designed by Erling Viksjø, should be preserved as a leading example of 1950s brutalist architecture. 

 

The buildings also boast works designed by Pablo Picasso and then sandblasted into the concrete.