Ski Tower By A-Lab: A Sustainable Residential Landmark in Norway

Located in Magasinparken, Ski, just outside Oslo, Ski Tower is one of four distinctive residential towers shaping a new urban district near the Ski Station transport hub on the Follo Line. Designed by A-Lab for developer Solon Eiendom AS, the project forms part of a larger masterplan regulated by Code Arkitekter and Civitas, transforming a former military area into a vibrant, transit-oriented neighborhood with over 400 apartments, landscaped public spaces, and preserved historic Magasin buildings.

Urban Context and Masterplanning

The four point towers are carefully positioned around the historic structures and new “urban villas,” creating generous outdoor spaces designed by Dronninga Landskap. Each tower is designed by a different architectural practice—A-Lab, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, R21, and Code Arkitekter—resulting in architectural diversity within a cohesive urban framework. Ski Tower occupies a prominent southwestern position, engaging both the landscape and surrounding residential fabric.

Architectural Concept and Form

Ski Tower rises nine stories, housing 4 to 6 apartments per floor, with private roof terraces crowning the upper levels. What sets the building apart is its external exoskeleton, a continuous structural grid that wraps around the entire volume. This secondary layer gives the tower an organic, soft expression, deliberately avoiding a defined front or back and allowing the building to read as a sculptural object in the landscape.

The architecture is conceived as a two-layer system:

• An inner façade clad in warm wood, creating a domestic and tactile interior atmosphere.
• An outer grid structure, forming balconies and semi-private outdoor rooms that extend living, dining, and kitchen spaces outward.

Sustainability and Material Innovation

A defining feature of Ski Tower is its commitment to environmental performance. The outer grid is clad with panels coated in crushed olivine stone, a material with the natural ability to bind CO₂ over time. This makes the façade not only an architectural gesture but also an active contributor to improved air quality—functioning as a kind of natural air purifier.

The grid’s seemingly irregular pattern creates dynamic window niches that project outward across all floors. These niches are carefully aligned with interior layouts, enhancing spatial variety inside apartments while also acting as visual and physical separators between adjacent terraces.

Light, Views, and Living Quality

At roof level, four sculptural light shafts rise above the exoskeleton, marking the penthouse apartments and giving the tower a strong vertical identity. Oriented toward the south-east, these angled light shafts channel daylight deep into the interiors, illuminating dining areas during the day and framing views of the night sky after sunset. This interplay of light reinforces the tower’s character as both a functional residence and an expressive architectural form.

A New Model for Urban Living

Ski Tower demonstrates how high-density housing can balance architectural identity, sustainability, and livability. Through its layered façade, climate-conscious materials, and generous private outdoor spaces, the project redefines apartment living in suburban Norway—offering residents a strong connection to nature, light, and the surrounding community.

All the photographs are works of Ski+Aerial's, Jean Pierre Mesinele, Solon Property