Etterstad 1, building in Norway
Etterstad 1 is a residential building in Oslo built in 1931 with three stories and practical room layouts designed for small households. The structure features a symmetrical rendered brick facade in warm reddish tones, an enclosed courtyard space, ground-floor shops, and regular windows positioned to allow natural light throughout.
The building was designed in 1930 and completed in 1931 as the first housing project by OBOS cooperative in Oslo, marking a new approach to worker housing. Architect Jacob Christie Kielland blended clean lines with functional spaces, creating an example of the shift from classical to modern building styles.
Etterstad 1 represents housing design from the 1930s focused on practical living spaces for working people seeking to own their homes. The inner courtyard still functions as a gathering place where residents interact, showing how the building's layout encourages community life.
Access to the building is through the ground floor where small shops once operated, and the courtyard provides clear spatial orientation for visitors. The location in Etterstad near local transport and green spaces makes navigation straightforward and pedestrian-friendly.
This was one of the first buildings in Scandinavia to practice cooperative housing for workers and still shows the original ground-floor shops. This early combination of private homes with shared commercial ground floors was progressive for its time and later influenced many European housing projects.
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