This immersive course, at the crossroads of a conversation class and a cultural workshop, is designed for participants interested in architecture, urban history and society, who wish to explore Oslo in French through its architectural transformations.

Guided by a professional translator and keen observer of language and the city, who has been leading international groups of architects in Oslo and across Norway for over four years, you will explore how Oslo has been built, transformed and continually reinvented over time — particularly over the past forty years, a period of major urban change.

Using architecture as a central thread, the course combines indoor sessions with on-site exploration, notably in emblematic areas such as Bjørvika and the Vulkan/Akerselva district. The sessions place architectural choices in context, examine the debates they have generated, and explore the societal values they reflect.

The emphasis is on oral interaction and guided discussion. Through images, concrete examples, on-site observations and collective dialogue, participants are invited to look at the city from a new perspective, articulate their impressions and share their analyses in French – in an immersion that is linguistic, cultural and urban.

The first session takes place indoors at Fransk kulturhus (11:00–12:30), after which sessions alternate between indoor meetings and on-site exploration (11:00–13:30)

Objectives

– Develop oral confidence in French through guided exchanges on architecture, the city and society
– Enrich and refine French vocabulary related to architecture, aesthetics, urban planning, history and culture
– Share, argue and confront viewpoints in French within an immersive, stimulating and welcoming environment
– Explore the architecture and history of Oslo (and, more broadly, Norway) in an interactive and cultural framework
– Understand Oslo’s architectural transformation, particularly over the past forty years, through a global and contextualised reading of the city
– Discover the main stages of an architectural project, from conception to use, based on emblematic examples (the Opera House and/or the Deichman Library)
– Observe how architecture reflects societal values, choices and their evolution in Norway

Level

Advanced (B2–C1)

First session: 4 March 2026. Registration HERE.