competitions – Side 3

House of fairytales

« The new house of fairytales and Lotzes have is a new intertwined entity, where the varied new museum and public spaces connect and open up for interaction between the visitors and the citizens of Odense alike«

H C ANDERSENS PLASS – The new urban public space welcomes the guests to the House of Fairytales. H C Andersens plass breaks the rythm of the streetscape, and together with Lotzes have gives necessary variation to the urban fabric. A wall leads the visitors into the world of the fairytales, while an outdoor stage links H C Andersens plass to the roof garden of the museum. The roof functions as a belvedere, both towards the garden and the square, and further underlines the break in public movement.

THE VIBRANT HEART – The museum opens up visually and spatially between the ground and the basement level – with a semi-public auditorium – connecting H C Andersens plass, Lotzes have, the museum, cafe and the transfer tunnel all at once – this is the vibrant heart of the complex. The exhibitions are both in the remaining buildings focusing on origin, and in the new exhibition spaces – flexible spaces with a focus on the connection between the fairytales and their actuality on everyday life.

THE CUT – The park is given a distinctive cut through its surface – the surfaces are then moulded vertically to display space and achieve movement. The cut opens for public movement between the ground and the transfer tunnel, through the museum space on a balcony. The cuts bring light and views from the public into the interior, while maintaining wall surfaces for display. The museum complex and public movement is strongly intertwined – to see and be seen both as visitor and passers.

THE LANDSCAPE – The roof garden extends into the new enlarged Lotzes have, where the fairytales come to life as manipulated nature, for instance by specific chosen vegetation and forced growth patterns like espaliers, creepers and herbs (colour and scent). The garden also includes the outdoor serving, adjacent to the terraced water, thus involving also the general public and reflect sun into the building. Interactions between the public and the museum take place through the flexible use of the auditiorium.

Dyrfjöll Stórurð

On monday the 28. october 2013 Eirik Rønning Andersen / ZeroImpactStrategies received 1 prize in the open ideas competition for better facilities for hikers at the Dyrfjöll – Stórurð mountain area in the eastern part of Iceland. The consistent design concept, identified throughout the range of elements, was decisive for the jury when choosing the winner. The prize seremony at Egilstaðir included the presentation of the project to the public, as well as an interview with the icelandic national television, which went on air on wednesday 30. october. The day was also used effectively to have project meetings and a site visit.

The hiking trails are revised in the way they are marked and connected. Three main paths goes through the mountain range, differing in difficulty and length. Each path is given a distinct colour and a base form as identification, and secondary trails connecting to a main path shares its base form, but not the colour. Along the trails there are indications of distances for every kilometer. Adding as little as possible, and only when necessary, is the basic implementation strategy.

The smaller elements includes sticks, guiding lines, natural stairs and signs. They are applied where needed to make the path more visible, prevent unwanted movement, facilitate easier access in loose terrain and to give clear directions and other trail information at connections between the different paths. The signs may also be used at particular viewpoints along the trails.

The bigger elements are bridges, benches and wetland passings. The elements are constructed by a wooden rib structure, which gives a rigid frame and at the same time dries up quickly, thereby giving a non-slippery walking surface and a comfortable sitting surface. Combining elements (signs included in the benches) to reduce the number of elements and thus the impact on the area.

At the starting points of each main trail there is placed new sanitary facilites, benches and terraces. These starting points will advertise the paths better towards the road network, and are thought to be used as supplementary services also for motorists. Ideally there can be set up smaller paths, accessible for all, in close proximity to the new starting points, linking the scenic vistas and the lake at Vasskarð, the mountain pass between Fljótsdal (Eyar) og Borgarfjörður.

The main material of the project is wood, naturally weathered. Darker heat-treated wood forms the signature profile edge of the elements. Due to extreme harsh weather conditions at one of the starting points there were discussed some alterations in the materials to better withstand the strong winds / sandstorms. The signature edge, sticks etc might therefore instead be implemented with corten-steel, for better durability.

The preliminary milestones for the project are: application for funding and public decision-making in the last part of 2013 / beginning of 2014, detailed elaboration and production during spring 2014, and execution of the project into the area summer / early autumn 2014. Due to a very short period without snow in the area in the summer time, detailed project planning is of great importance to be able to execute the project in a very short time frame.

Rehabilitation of Rjukan Torg

The open competition to redesign the town square of Rjukan, to welcome the new sun reflectors rays that gives the Rjukan inhabitants a glimpse of the sun during the 6 months in the shadows throughout winter, was held in march 2013. With approximately 100 participants, the competition attracted a wide range of nordic proposals.

The main composition includes the transformation of the upper and lower squares, and an elaboration of the green field inbetween including the sun receptor (an activity sculpture) and down to the lower square as an amphi theatre. On the other side of the lower square, out into the river landscape, there is a new world heritage museum, thus activating the 4th side of the extended Rjukan torg. The field of green also extends out onto the roof of the museum as a belvedere in the same river landscape, and with a ramp it connects down to the lower square. The museum and ramp encloses the lower square, making a suitable stage for performances and concerts, together with a distinct entrypoint to the museum. Stretching from the upper square all the way down to the Måna river is a water passage, linking the new elements together.

The green activity field is designed as a small hill-top, where the sun receptor is placed, giving it the most prominent position in the composition of squares. The light-and-activity sculpture is drawn away from the town square to keep the square surface a flexible space for both market days, festivals and other events. The sun receptor casts shadows, can be used both as a playground and a stage, flexible and changeable.

The upper square is stretched over the main road all the way up to the commerce street in Rjukan, thus creating better accessibility accross the main road passing through the square. New buss stops are located directly on the square, thus giving pedestrians priority over vehicles. To further underline the switch in priority, the water passage starts as a water crossing with cobblestones on the road, to reduce the speed of cars. The water passage runs all the way to the Måna river, including stone bridges, a small waterfall inspired by the

The square is left mainly untouched, except for two stone carpets separating the entrance zones of the town hall and library buildings towards the center of the square. The stone carpets are multifunctional elements; for sitting, climbing, laying down and even skating. The carpets undulates to open for passages across from the square to the buildings where this is necessary.

Across the square there is also drawn a guiding line with technical infrastructure which binds together the commerce street with the receptor. At the commerce street end of the guiding line there is a miniature light sculpture to invite people in main street down to the town square.

The existing lower square is separated from the upper square by a small slope, which is transformed to an amphi theatre with the lower square as its stage. The lower square is transformed to a shared space, with occasional parking but at special events closed off as pedestrian space. The water passage widens at the end of a small waterfall at the entrance of the new world heritage museum. Her Sam Eyde finds his new place.

The water passage is integrated in the museum design and continues all the way across the Måna pedestrian trail down to the Måna river. The museum is divided intwo levels – an upper level with the entrance from the square, closed towards the river but opens up parallel to the river – and a lower level at the same hight as the Måna pedestrian trail, opening up towards the river. The entrance level also includes a westerly oriented café / restaurant.

Serlachius Gösta Museum

In march 2011 I participated in the Serlachius Gösta Museum Extension Competition, along with 578 other participants from 41 countries all over the world. The interest in the competition was enormous, so imagine the surprise when I got notification that I had received an honourable mention and was invited to Finland for the awards seremony and exhibition opening.

On june 22nd I therefore went to the regional town of Mänttä in the lake district of Finland for the awards ceremony, together with the other awarded participants of the competition. There was a good mix of european participants present, including the winners and other prized entries from respectively spain (MX_SI), Finland (Heikkinen Komonen) and Germany (Magma Architecture). Surprisingly many of the honorable mentions had found time to participate in the ceremony, probably due to the extreme amount of entries.

My proposal differed, in how it approached the site, from all other proposals. Leaving the iconic manor house and the hill on which it stands untouched, the museum extention rather focuses on creating new attractive space towards the water, entrenched in the landscape.

The only two objects standing out and rises one storey high into the park landscape are the higher main exhibition / conference halls, thus refering in size to the manor house and not outscaling it. The lower exhibition spaces extends onto a sunny lakeside sculpture garden and restaurant, and by digging into the landscape offers a continuously extended park on the roof of the complex.

Motto 13003 Tønder

As a bastion, the new extension to the Tønder town hall contrasts to the long and sleek shape of the original building. Its rising shape recalls the long gone castle, which stood on the ajacent site. The town hall auditorium lifts its roof as a gesture towards the town – likewise the new extension rises as a bigger gesture towards the marsk – the wetlands reaching out towards the sea. As a beacon the new town hall oversees the marsk.

The offices are divided between single / double offices along the facade, collective workspaces on the cascading bridges spanning the open indoor courtyard, and multispace offices at the southeastern corner. A large workspace on the ground floor has sunny outdoor terraces with views both to the new entrance yard and into the garden.

From the new entrance yard to the west, you enter the canteen / new entrance hall which flows freely into the old entrance hall . A large glass roof, which spans all the way to the 5th floor, unites the workspaces on each level with the canteen. Shared space for the offices, like kitchenettes / copy- and serverrooms / meeting rooms and silent workrooms, are placed in the structural core, overlooking the indoor courtyard.

The new extension uses the same basic materials as the existing town hall, red bricks (but in the long kolumba format) combined with in-situ concrete and structural glazing. The roof is a publicly accessible stair, which gives everyone access to the spledid view of the marsk, and functions as an amphi with the Tønder town as its stage.

Motto 13012 Áningarstaður

The «bálstofa» attaches itself lightly to the terrain, supported only on poles out into the landscape. The basic shape is slightly dented due to a small promontory in the terrain. The bent shape of the «bálstofa» gives perfect shelter from the prevailing winds, while at the same time opening up towards the sun.

The basic shape is given distinctive openings, to facilitate entry and panoramic view, while at each end of the basic shape translucent panels create a bright interior.

The building consist of the «bálstofa» itself, a balcony with overview over Laugarvatn, and toilets and storage facilities. Even in section the shape is bent and optimized so that extra height is given where needed, at the same time the outdoor spaces are given more sun at the peak of day.

The environmental strategy of the building consists of minimal impact on the site due to reduced landmass shifting and foundations, and due to using wood as the key construction and surface material of the «bálstofa». A structure of wooden ribs that shift slightly position and size gives the organic basic shape – thus using a traditional material with modern high-tech production techniques in a new way. For the outdoor areas natural stone (basalt) and gravel is chosen for its good environmental credentials and abundancy as well.

The concept should be adaptable to different sites and terrain, therefore the competition proposal also suggested how the concept would be adapted to for instance a flat area.