Don Lawrence Arkitekt As

02/03/2025

People, impressions, and all that love in Zambia

02/03/2025

Images from Safari in Zambia

09/02/2025

REPOST from :

Season5/ Episode1
Don Lawrence shares his transformative journey as an architect, connecting his roots in Jamaica to his experiences in New York and Norway. His family influences and diverse geopolitical experiences shape not only his design approach but also embody the importance of cultural heritage and community in creating meaningful and sustainable spaces.

Our discussions highlight the interplay of culture, education, and identity in shaping one’s life and design philosophy. We also focus on the significance of sense of place and the African aesthetic in design. Finally, Don discusses an exciting project in Bali, where he and his team combine local craftsmanship with sustainable methods—highlighting the significance of recognizing traditional techniques, drawing lessons from traditional African building techniques and aesthetics. This blend represents a holistic approach to architecture that seeks to honor the materials, the environment, and the individuals who inhabit these spaces.

Through Don Lawrence’s reflective narrative, we grasp essential lessons about identity, resilience, and the quest for innovative and sustainable design practices. His story serves as a reminder of the profound influence of cultural roots and personal experiences in creating architectural spaces that resonate deeply with the communities they serve.

Recorded: 03.08.2024

https://www.don-lawrence.com/


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Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
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30/01/2025

19/06/2024

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that DON LAWRENCE ARKITEKT AS has been granted Tiltaksklasse 3 by the Direktoratet for Byggkvalitet, the highest certification for architecture and ansvarlig søker (responsible applicant).

What does this mean for us?: This central approval allows us to handle the most complex architectural projects out there, including:

🏢 Large-scale buildings over 5000 sqm (square meters)
🏢 Structures with more than 5 floors
🏢 Multi-functional buildings with high planning requirements
🏛️ Projects in demanding architectural and historical environments

In addition, we have also received approval for:
🌿 Prosjektering av veg, utearealer og landskapsutforming i tiltaksklasse 1 (Design of roads, outdoor areas, and landscape in class 1)
📜 Søker (for alle typer tiltak) i tiltaksklasse 3 (Applicant for all types of projects in class 3)

This certification underscores our commitment to excellence and our capability to manage intricate projects with comprehensive coordination and exceptional design quality.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to bring innovative and high-quality architectural solutions to life!

13/06/2024

Reposted from

We are thrilled to announce our second guest for Season 5 of the «My African Aesthetic Podcast - Scandinavian Edition»! 🎙️

Meet Don Lawrence, a visionary Jamaican-born Newyorker & architect based in Oslo, Norway. 🇯🇲🇳🇴 Don holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from The Cooper Union in NYC and a Master’s from the The Oslo School of archietecture and design.

Our pre-podcast coffee walk/chat outside his studio was fresh, optimistic and insightful as Don shared his reflections on life in Norway,Jamaica and the USA in light of the concepts of identity, belonging, placemaking and neighborhood.

With a rich background working at renowned firms like Snøhetta, Don brings a wealth of experience to his own studio, Don Lawrence Arkitekt AS. Since 2013, Don’s studio has been dedicated to crafting unique, modern buildings that blend seamlessly with nature. 🌱🏡 From private homes to tropical resorts, their projects harmonize with the environment, creating spaces with a true sense of belonging.

Join us as we dive into Don’s journey, his passion for collanoration, research, nature-integrated architecture, and the incredible work his studio is doing to bridge the gap between art, architecture, and landscape design. 🌍✨



📸:

04/05/2024

Do you know about how tourism developed on Bali and what impact it’s had on the island’s architecture?

Tourism in Bali dates back to 1920 when the Dutch colonial governing powers promoted it as the Island of Paradise to Europeans. The first hotel on the island, The Bali Hotel, was built in 1928 in Denpasar. It set a new standard for international tourism, offering tours and a range of entertainment such as traditional dance shows.

In 1931, European colonial powers gathered to share the developments they had introduced at the Exposition Coloniale Internationale De Paris. A pavilion based on Balinese architecture and culture drew huge interest.

In 1930s the Dutch implemented a policy called Baliseering, which encouraged the Balinese people to maintain their culture and not succumb to modernisation in order to increase revenue from tourism, but also to separate Balinese identity from neighbouring islands under the control of other powers.

In 1965 the Bali beach hotel was built with Japanese war money. The large box like building caused an outcry from the locals. As a result, a new building regulation came in place in 1974, stating that new buildings cannot be taller than a coconut three.

What is now known as ‘Bali style’ started first in the mid 1980s and led to a boom in tourism on Bali.

Thank you to Dr. I Nyoman Gede Maha Putra ( ) from Architecture Department of Universitas Warmadewa, Denpasar for giving us a stimulating introduction to the timeline of tourism in Bali and its transformation on the island’s architecture as part of the residency Bricking It: An Urgent Situation 2024.

The residency explores bricks, tourism, and vernacular architecture. It’s participants are:

Ellie Birkhead
Yohanes Ayra Duta
Jon Haga Grov
Huzefah Haroon
Elise Hoebeke .hoebeke
Breanne Johnson
Tinsae Tsegahun Mengistu
Franscisco Susmel
Taonga Julia Kaunda-Kaseka

An Urgent Situation is supported by through the Globus programme. Bricking It is developed in collaboration with , and .arch

29/11/2023

Klar for en måned på Bali i april? Nytt residency-opphold søker arkitekter, landskapsarkitekter og kunstnere til et dypdykk i balinesisk mursteintradisjon. 

31/10/2023

🏡 Fantastisk eiendom til salgs i Ski! 🏢

Vi er glade for å dele en flott leilighet i en tomannsbolig i Ski, som en av våre kommersielle kunder FolksEiendom Utvikling As har lagt ut for salg. Don Lawrence Arkitekt As har bistått med bruksendring, fasadeendring og seksjonering for å gjøre denne boligen enda mer attraktiv.

Beliggenhet: Ski
Type: Leilighet i tomannsbolig
Bruksendring: Gjennomført
Fasadeendring: Fullført
Seksjonering: Klart

Dette er din sjanse til å eie en flott eiendom i Ski. Kontakt selgeren for mer informasjon og visning! 📩

EIE eiendomsmegling ved Brynjar Netskar har gleden av å presentere Skogveien 24! En flott del av tomannsbolig i sentrum av Ski. Boligen kan blant anne

01/07/2023

We are thrilled to share our involvement in an incredible project in Ski central for our clients over at FolksEiendom Utvikling As. Our team at Don Lawrence Arkitekt AS is proud to be part of transforming a new property into a remarkable place to call home. With a commitment to efficiency, innovation, and creating a seamless homeowner experience, we can't wait to turn this vision into reality.

Stay tuned for updates as we work together to bring this project to life. Follow us on this journey and be part of the transformation!

We are excited to have taken over this beautiful property in Ski central, 11 min to Oslo.
Plan: Convert to duplex, 80m2 and 155m2 Lawrence Arkitect AS.
We are aware of increase in material prices, interest rates, population and macroeconomic turmoil. Amount of newbuild in Norway fell by 67% ref:SSB May 2023. This has resulted to 7,7% increase in house prices. Not a surprise.

Many find it rewarding moving into a new home and all they need is to ‘plug and play’ spend their time on exactly what they like? This is the experience FolksEiendom offers.

We are extremely proud of our new partnership, our team, our customers, reducing carbon footprint and the financial systems that continue to have trust and believe in us.

We focus on making our processes efficient, thinking outside the box, resilience, staying focus and true to ourselves and values by ‘THINK SLOW AND MOVE FAST’.
‘It is your city own it’ - ‘Det er din by. Ei den!’

30/06/2023

Don Lawrence has been selected as a committee member for the Committee for Etikk og Tvister (Ethics and Disputes) of Norske Arkitekters Landsforbund (The Norwegian Association of Architects)!

The committee's new leader is Michael Ramm Østgaard. Joining him as new members are Børge Anfinsen Normann, Don Lawrence, and Christina Sørheim.

The committee holds the important responsibility of handling complaint cases related to violations of NAL's ethical rules. They play a crucial role in upholding the integrity and professionalism of the architectural community.

Congratulations to Don Lawrence and the other new members on their appointment! 🎊 We are confident that their expertise and dedication will contribute greatly to the committee's work.

Emelie Tornberg og Per Fretheim er nye medlemmer i NALs landsstyre. En rekke av våre medlemmer har også takket ja til viktige frivillige verv i komiteene våre.