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Underpinned by our Scandinavian design heritage, we bring you regular stories about architecture and interiors, exploring natural materials, acoustics, and the creation of safe and harmonious environments.
In the heart of Oslo’s Old Town is Universitetsgata 7-9, a 10-storey commercial property close to the Royal Palace. Per Ravn of Cubo Arkitekter tells us how the principles of equal accessibility shaped the design of this modern office building.

Specialised in universal design, accessibility and inclusivity in architecture, Per Ravn is partner and architect at Cubo Arkitekter, a partner-managed design studio based in central Aarhus, Denmark.
The foundation of an inclusive neighbourhood is that it must have something to offer in the first place. Universitetsgata 7-9 was not developed as an isolated building, but was designed from the outset to be an important part of the city block. A large inviting gateway gives a route through to the passages behind, which was key to creating a publicly accessible, experiential and exciting city life at this location. The street-level floors were designed to contain publicly accessible functions, aimed at a variety of businesses that will ensure that city life unfolds over 24 hours a day.
Equal accessibility is about creating a built environment that is inclusive and accessible to all. We developed the project based on a design approach called Universal Design, which does away with the notion that users with special needs should have separate solutions. The idea is to start from the basic condition that people are different and, by embracing diversity, we can create solutions that meet everyone’s needs. The goal is that everyone can participate and no one is left behind.
Inclusive architecture is about much more than creating accessibility. You can easily create a fully accessible building that is not very inclusive. For example, if the lift is far away from the main staircase, wheelchair users will be excluded from the rest of the group when moving around a building.
It is crucial to be able to put yourself in the shoes of different users. To do this, knowledge of different disabilities and user behaviour in the built environment is essential. The focus should be on the user’s functional ability, rather than the user’s disability. By focusing on functional ability, solutions can be developed that support the abilities and senses that the user has available.
In general, the chosen materials support the principles we work with under Universal Design. An example in the exterior would be the entrance doors in a contrasting colour to the rest of the facade, which helps the visually impaired to identify the doors.
In the interior, intensive work has been done on acoustics so that the hearing impaired have the best possible conditions. Signage uses different materials and colours to ensure intuitive wayfinding. These solutions ensure the best possible conditions for everyone, not just those with additional needs.
The interior walls have been designed with rounded corners, to beautifully reflect the exterior of the building. Throughout the space, the walls are covered with 4,000 square metres of Gustafs panels in oak veneer, in a harmonious mix of plain panels and ribs.
Project photos: Dmitry Tkachenko