bar bakke landskapsarkitekter: The landscape is already there

By Celina Tran | Photos: Tove Lauluten

Among the noise and spectacle of contemporary architecture, it can be difficult to hear the landscape speak. Often, the most important qualities are already there. At bar bakke landskapsarkitekter in Oslo, the ambition is not to bulldoze and start again, but to work with the existing landscape.

Daniel Ewald, landscape architect, managing director and partner at bar bakke landskapsarkitekter, has spent years shaping a wide variety of projects, from courtyards and housing areas to parks and larger landscape interventions. Instead of focusing on the spectacle, Ewald and bar bakke are interested in what happens after the ribbon is cut, when people arrive and simply get on with their lives.

Founded in 2005 by landscape architect Kjersti Vallevik Håbjørg, bar bakke now has 12 landscape architects working from central Oslo. “The name bar bakke points to the possibilities that lie in an open starting point. At the same time, it reminds us that the landscape already exists. Our task is to understand what is there, what should be preserved, and what needs to be added,” says Ewald.

It is this approach that gives the studio its character: restrained elegance, a few clear moves, and a well-considered material palette. “Landscape architecture should take its cue from the place, rather than impose itself on it. The goal is not simply to create something that looks good on opening day, but a landscape that can be used, grow and improve over time,” Ewald says. “We place great emphasis on durable materials, good growing conditions, and solutions that can be built and maintained in a sensible and practical way. Vegetation is a fundamental structural element, and terrain, planting, movement, spaces for gathering, stormwater management, and microclimate are developed as one coherent whole.”

At Haugerudparken, bar bakke worked with the existing woodland and reused the foundation of an old warehouse.

Places that give back

At Kadettangen, the scale is immediately apparent. Around 50,000 truckloads of surplus material helped expand the site by 1.6 hectares, creating a 3.5-hectare fjord park connecting Sandvika with Kalvøya and the surrounding landscape. “The park accommodates activity, recreation and quiet spaces. The ten-metre-high diving tower has become a local landmark, but what matters most is how the entire park has made the fjord more accessible,” Ewald says. “The project demonstrates how a major technical landscape intervention can become an inclusive public space.”

Situated between housing and a working harbour, Bekkelagsbadet was conceived partly as a buffer against port noise – an unlikely starting point for a park. Following extensive community involvement, it became a green destination for swimming, parkour, BMX and socialising. For Ewald, the social purpose is fundamental: “Good outdoor spaces create belonging, and belonging is social sustainability.”

Across the studio’s work runs a consistent idea: landscapes should not be designed for a single photograph, user group or moment. Instead, they should accommodate ordinary life: children at play, someone sitting alone, friends meeting, people walking their dogs – and rainwater being slowed and absorbed.

bar bakke landskapsarkitekter: The landscape is already there

Less is not always more, but often better

Haugerudparken offers perhaps the clearest expression of bar bakke’s ecological thinking. Instead of clearing the site and starting again, the team worked through careful transformation and maintenance. “By opening up the overgrown woodland, selectively clearing around mature trees and reintroducing maintenance practices inspired by the historic cultural landscape, we improved both biodiversity and perceived safety,” says Ewald.

Even the remains of an old warehouse found a second life. Its foundation became an activity and events space. The intervention shows how landscape architecture is not always about adding more. Sometimes the smartest move is simply to notice what is already valuable.

That same principle shapes the studio’s process. Before designing, bar bakke maps the natural conditions, history and microclimate of a place. A clear design concept follows, together with a project-specific vegetation strategy. From there, the designs are developed through 3D modelling and Building Information Modelling (BIM). The models can document soil volumes, growing conditions and material quantities while coordinating landscape with buildings, structures and technical systems. “For us, the models describe not only built structures, but living systems,” Ewald says.

Looking ahead, bar bakke wants its work to answer several pressures at once: climate change, heavier rainfall, biodiversity loss and the need for inclusive meeting places. Vegetation should have a stronger role from the first survey through concept design, modelling and construction. BIM for landscape should keep developing, too, improving collaboration across disciplines. “Technology is a means, not an end,” Ewald adds. “The goal is landscapes that work for people, nature and society – and become better with time.”

Behind the technology lies a fundamentally analogue idea: start with what is there, add what is needed, then allow the landscape to change, grow, bring people together and improve over time.

bar bakke landskapsarkitekter: The landscape is already there