The Oslo Structure Triennale opens its 2022 name for initiatives and locations

Today, the eighth Oslo Architecture Triennale put out an open call for projects, firms, and ideas for ways to physically and socially improve what we think of as the neighborhood—the actual form and how communities form and grow around them.

When the 2022 Oslo Architecture Triennale kicks off on September 21, an international selection of projects will be put on display in what organizers are calling a “digital index.”

That makes sense considering the theme of this year’s architecture festival, first revealed in April of 2021: Mission Neighbourhood – (Re)forming communities. As the triennale organizers point out in the event’s curatorial statement, in the time of climate upheaval and major shifts in the way we work and live due to the pandemic, the neighborhood has become amorphous—an experimental laboratory for citizens, designers, and politicians to discover new ways of addressing inequity. Both physical and social infrastructure needs to grow and match the increasing stressors of modern life.

To that end, the festival wants to showcase transformative ideas for improving everything from single streets to the urban planning process across entire cities. The theme launch also marked the start of an information-gathering phase for Oslo Architecture Triennale organizers, and the projects, concepts, and knowledge gleaned from other Nordic cities during this time and the event itself will ultimately be compiled in a book after the festival concludes.

Applicants have until Friday, March 18, to submit, and each category is a bit broader than their names might suggest:

For projects, organizers are looking at planning, architecture, and design projects for bettering neighborhoods at every scale—from the individual up to citywide. Both projects and visions are accepted.

For practices, everything from digital planning tools to organizational structures (whether they be community groups, governmental structures, or business models), and planning initiatives will be accepted.

The perspectives category is the broadest. Modes of thought, whether they be political ideas or artistic reflections, are encouraged; the point is to gather insight into new modes of thinking and evaluating the growth of neighborhoods.

Fifteen projects will ultimately be shown at the triennale in Oslo and to help make the selection, all of the submissions will be put online at www.neighbourhoodindex.org for the public to vote on. The winners will be announced in May.

[The Architect’s Newspaper is a media sponsor of the 2022 Oslo Architecture Triennale.]