The 2026 Oslo Architecture Triennale will take place from September 17 to October 1 at Sofienberg Church in Oslo, bringing together more than 30 international architecture projects around the question "What if Nature Comes First?" For its ninth edition, the Triennale will adopt a two-week festival format, combining an exhibition with conferences, seminars, workshops, film screenings and guided walks. Curated by Line Ramstad, the programme will examine how placing nature at the starting point of architectural decision-making could influence what is built, preserved, transformed or left untouched.
The main exhibition will occupy both the interior and exterior of Sofienberg Church, a 19th-century building constructed in 1877 that is currently being transformed into a local cultural venue in Oslo's Grünerløkka neighborhood. Developed using reused materials, the exhibition brings together projects from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States. Rather than treating sustainability as an additional consideration within architectural projects, the Triennale frames nature as a starting point for decisions concerning materials, buildings, land and broader systems.
The curatorial framework is organized across four scales: Materials, Structures, Territories and Systems. These categories consider questions ranging from the selection and reuse of construction materials to the lifespan of buildings, the relationship between architecture and land, and the economic and regulatory systems that shape development. Among the projects presented are Carmody Groarke's Gent Waste Brick, made with recycled municipal waste, Pihlmann Architects' transformation of the Thoravej 29 factory in Copenhagen, and Built Architects' Grønn liste, which maps buildings in Oslo with potential for reuse.
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The programme will extend beyond the exhibition throughout the two-week event, with activities taking place from early morning into the evening. The Triennale will open on September 17 with a conference introducing the theme and its four scales, featuring speakers including Chief Curator Line Ramstad, Jonathan Grinham of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Zeynep Topçu of BC Materials, Tine Hegli of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, and Sian Ricketts of Carmody Groarke. The following days will include a series of morning talks, seminars and workshops addressing natural materials, reuse, urban planning and ecological economics, alongside film screenings and walks through Oslo's landscape.
A recurring element of the programme will be "The Daily Sermon," presented from the pulpit of Sofienberg Church each morning from September 18 to October 1. The short talks will introduce a specific architectural or environmental challenge alongside a proposed response, while weekend sessions will allow for longer discussions. Other events include "The New Stone Age," a seminar exploring the use of stone and natural materials in architecture, and "Nature and Economy," which will examine the role of ecological economics in shaping urban development.
The Triennale will also address the relationship between cultural heritage, reuse and development through a September 22 seminar organized with Norway's Directorate for Cultural Heritage. "How Can We Make Reuse Pay Off?" will consider the financial, cultural and practical factors involved in transforming existing buildings, bringing together architects, heritage professionals and advisors for presentations and an open discussion. The event forms part of the broader programme's focus on existing resources and alternative approaches to construction.
The 2026 edition is curated by Line Ramstad, a landscape architect and Director and Chief Curator of the Oslo Architecture Triennale. Her approach to the programme focuses on existing materials, buildings and knowledge as resources for addressing the environmental impact of construction and land use. "Materials are heavy and should stay local; knowledge is light and can be spread globally," Ramstad states, summarizing one of the principles underpinning this year's programme.
The Oslo Architecture Triennale 2026 will conclude on October 1 with a closing conference reflecting on the festival's discussions and projects. The programme follows a series of major architecture biennales and triennales scheduled for late 2026, including the inaugural Pan-African Biennale in Nairobi from September 7 to 11, the Tallinn Architecture Biennale from September 9 to November 30 under the theme "How Much?", and the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, which opens November 14 under the title "Architecture Otherwise: Building Civic Infrastructure for Collective Futures."
