competitions – Side 2

Sola Town Hall

» The Sola Town Hall is located as an independent and formally strong structure, with the city park and pedestrian urban carpet flowing through it. The building exudes a solid architecture, an architecture that provides a sense of security and credibility. An open and transparent facade towards the square and the park invites people into the building, to participate and influence. An architecture that contributes to confidence and security – a place you come for advice. «

The competition proposal was done as a collaborative work of the Architects Collective EX3 at Hydrogenfabrikken, Fredrikstad, which consists of ZIS AS / ZeroImpactStrategies, Handegård Arkitektur AS and VizStudio (3D visualizations).

To contrast with the existing and planned structures in midtown Sola – and to build its own character – the new Sola Town Hall keeps low and hovers slimly above the park and urban landscapes, letting people flow freely through and under the complex.

The two parallel public spaces, the park and the urban carpet, are given a change in their rythm when the Sola Town Hall breaks up the space – the town hall square will have the new proposed church as a fond motif and as an end point of the undulating carpet, from which both the town hall recessed ground floor as well as the church and the new highrise to the south grows. The roof landscape is green and ties the complex to the park.

The courtyard, with entrances to the different health services and the outdoor serving areas of the cantine, also maximizes natural light for the offices in the upper stories. The slim slabs of the offices make pleasant sheltered spaces for bicycle parking and entrance points underneath.

The main entrance is a double height space in dialogue with both the courtyard and the square, and includes all the main reception functionality, while the more specialized services like health care, PPT etc are given more discrete separate entrances, linked to the public park and courtyard at the lower level.

The main entrance is the meeting point for all public / administrative contact, with easy access to the town hall assembly directly above the entrace. The town hall assembly has its own balcony towards the square for the bigger celebrations – for instance 17th of may speeches. The politicians wing is directly connected to the town hall assembly as well, in contact with both the courtyard and the street.

New Mosque in Reykjavík

The Mosque finds its inspiration from the icelandic landscape – gently rising from the surrounding park landscape – with a protective perimeter wrapping resembling the fault line walls which have played a vital role resonating democracy and justice at Þingvellir. The Mosque visibly interacts with the park, with its green roof and the contemplative garden. Natural light is guiding your way through the Mosque and towards prayer.

The competition proposal was made in collaboration with SAAHA, and the external visualizations done by VizStudio.

The perimeter wrapping creates a tranquil place for worship and contemplation at one of the most trafficated intersection in Reykjavik – and opens up and exposes the Mosques activities towards the outside through its variations. The homogenous wrapping is only broken to enter the building – a portal inspired by the stuðlaberg formations as well as the ancient geometric vaults of traditional Mosques. Using a traditional arabic pattern to clothe and decorate the building is inspired by the traditional icelandic patterns of the lopapeysa, also worn to protect the individual in the cold and harsh climate.

You enter the generous lobby combined with shoe and cloak storage, which connects everything within the Mosque: Down the stairs to ablution and the prayer hall, up to the office, library and classroom, and directly to the kitchen and auditorium. From the lobby you also have access to the contemplative garden and the room for ritual washing of the deceased. The prayer hall is a wide space promoting equality when facing Mecca in prayer, inspired by the traditional non-directional spaces of the polystyle Mosques. The prayer hall interacts with the common areas through its translucent metal screens and further into the ablution through translucent glass.

The auditorium can open up as a gallery for the prayer hall, and thus function as additional prayer space when needed. The kitchen is ideally positioned to facilitate activites both in the auditorium and the lobby, with easy access to the other floors through the elevator. The ritual washing of the deceased is given a more tranquil position towards the garden and given access to the outside through this. The office on the 1st floor has direct visibility to the entrance, and the library and classroom is an open landscape of bookshelves creating individual places in-between for discussion and in depth study. The classroom is enclosed with glass to roof above the shelves, while the hole zone can be darkened by vertical blinds.

The contemplative garden contains the traditional elements of a muslim garden triggering all senses – running water, beauty through biodiversity inspired by both icelandic and foreign flora, and harvest. The material palette of the Mosque is contemporary and following the tradition of expressive concrete sacral buildings like the Hallgrimskirkja – prefabricated concrete and ultra-high performance concrete screens, structural glazing towards the garden. The quibla wall is of a honeycomb glazed tile, where shadows play in the light, the mihrab and the minbar rising from the ground in polished basalt.

Single family house, Santiago de Chile

«From the street, the house hides … at our feet, appears a large gazebo, an extension, a platform that extends endlessly towards the horizon, capturing the great view of Santiago and its great range … inside it opens a space, a large patio of light that receives us to make the vast horizon permanent.»

The proposal was made in collaboration with Chilean architect Anton A. Riadi.

We are situated between two major geographical features that identify the city of Santiago de Chile – the Andes and the Manquehue hill.

The Z HOUSE is placed as a mediator between these two major geographies, to the south-east the Andes Mountains and to the south-west the Manquehue hill. The house is hidden, creating a balcony on the slope which always keeps the city as a vast panoramic view.

To the south a large patio of light opens up with a pool which accentuates the horizon, creating an instance of permanence and relaxation. The house is located strategically to open all its views to the south and allow natural light to have enclosures during the course of the day.

The house extends to the horizon and elevates itself in the form of a Z, generating a division of four major instances.

The main entrance courtyard leads down to the submerged house, from the street to the entrance hall, where we see a large volume that is detached from the body of the house creating a sense of freedom towards the city.

The terrace is directly linked to the main hall, service area, guest area, dining room, library and living room. In this way the living spaces have an immediate connection with the large yard of light and the openness of the house is evident.

The green courtyard is under the slope of the site. Above it is the volume of the master bedroom which follows from the general body of the house. Thus the master bedroom abalcona creating a total perspective into the courtyard, the city and the Andes Mountains. The bedrooms, office and hometheater for the children, are directly linked to the green courtyard, linked directly to the slope.

The parking yard fulfills the function to separate the street from the building, creating a more intimate vehicular access for residents into the house. The service area is directly linked to the yard parking.

Ferry terminal and shelter on Viðey

«A precise and rough shape hides a softer inviting core when it is split in two, and when the two parts are placed on each side of the Videyjar sound, the perception of unity and familiarity is maintained across the waters»

The proposal was awarded 2.prize in the competition.

CONCEPT // A precise and rough shape, which hides a softer inviting core when it is split in two. A surprising contrast between the rough natural exterior and the refined elaborated interior. The two parts (the boat house and the waiting shed) remains connected, and are perceived as a two parts of one entity, perceptibly unifiable and visually recognisable. By making a tilted cut in the precise shape you solve functionally both a covered outdoor area of the boat shed at Skarfabakka and a better entrenching of the waiting shed into the terrain out at Videy. The diagonal cut opens up videly and invites in both the passengers arriving by boat and the pedestrians coming to the boathouse to depart. Another benefit is the good overview achieved for the employees / boatdrivers, both towards land and sea. The glass surface between inside and outside becomes an interactive medium to communicate the day to day activities and history of Videy, as well as it can change to accomodate special events with other information needs. It would also be easily adaptable for educational uses.

BOAT HOUSE // An organic line separates the closed spaces (toilets / storage / house technics) which doesn´t need natural light from the open ones (rest room employees / ticket sales / waiting area) which spaciously opens up towards the outdoor waiting area and the quay. For effective and flexible handling the ticket sales opens up both towards the outside and inside waiting areas. The soft organic lines of the interior makes horisontal breaks and displacement to create zones for sitting, benches and other interior solutions. The lighting concept underlines this horizontality. The waiting area is allways open to the public, while staff facilities and ticket sales are open periodically during the day, adjustable to the needs of the staff. One employee may have the complete overview of both interior and exterior spaces, and can thereby govern the hole complex.

WAITING SHED // The waiting shed is entrenched into the landscape where the information signs currently stand. Water run-off from the landscape are led in pipes underneath the outdoor concrete floor in front of the shed. The benches in the shed are terraced to make a mini-amphi for students to be educated upon arrival / before departure from Videy. The glass wall between inside and outside functions as a multimedia wall with projections when used for education of school groups. The waiting area is allways open to the public, but possible to close completely off during harsh weather conditions.

CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE // Insulated and / or uninsulated sandwich in situ concrete, with different surface textures. Sandblasted dark concrete with dark basalt round river rock aggregate – the surface is drawn closer to the experience of natural rock. Ground dark concrete along the tilted diagonal cuts – to enhance the feeling of a cut deliberate action and a processed expression.

Ground and polished white concrete with white aggregate in the interiors – soft moulded shapes to create a tactile and bright inviting interior. Integrated low heat water heating in the benches. Structural glazing spanning from floor to ceiling.

Better facilitation for visitors at Geysir

«Kongsstien» is made up of minimal conceptual strategies – lifting the ground somewhat here, placing something lightly on the ground over there – in such a way that the magic of the place is preserved and that future kings may come to visit, be fascinated and leave again, just a little bit wiser.«

The proposal was made in collaboration with Handegaard Arkitektur.

«Kongsstien» – coming as a stranger to a place of such awe, breathing and seething – at Geysir it really feels like you are closer to mother earth as a living, breathing entity, and that you are closer connected to her. To change a landscape like this demands respect, and the changes must reflect and subordinate itself to the existing – if not the Geysir area will loose the uniqueness of its connection to the inner earth. «Kongsstien» is made up of minimal conceptual strategies – lifting the ground somewhat here, placing something lightly on the ground over there – in such a way that the magic of the place is preserved and that future kings may come to visit, be fascinated and leave again, just a little bit wiser.

UNDERSTANDING OF PLACE // The Geysir area is today characterized by step-by-step development and no unifying impression that greets people. The extent of the conurbation is in the competition proposal defined by a new public bath on the western edge of the main parking, partially entrenched in the landscape. This gives a two-sided access and thereby better use of the main parking lot. The entrance to the parking lots are placed as early as possible, both to the east and west. This enhances the public flows securitywise, and leaves a minimum of vehicular traffic at the crossing points at Geysistofa. The two main entrances to the geothermal area defines a shared space, where vehicular traffic and pedestrians are mingled.

The deserted farm Laug can be redeveloped for tourist rental with a strong focus on environmentally friendly tourism as a self-sufficient summer cottage complex. This would be a perfect advertising board for similar deserted farms in more spectacular secluded locations, self sufficient in the same way. The fence surrounding the geothermal area is repositioned to the west, when the shortcut from the camping site is integrated into the pedestrian system of the geothermal area. The fence is also repositioned so that you can reach the top of the Laugarfell mountain still within the perimeters of the geothermal area. Ticket sales are handled either in the service centre or through ticket machines on the southern side of the road close to the parking lots, thus preventing large concentrations of people out in the road. Automated entrance control with ticket scanning further facilitates quick access to the geothermal area on the northern sid of the road. The ticket system will be adapted to the national strategies for payment at tourist sites in the Icelandic landscape – i e the «naturpass».

ENTRANCE TO THE AREA // From the big parking lots you move as a pedestrian unhindered along the service centre, whether you come from the west or the east you can choose either between the existing or the new entrance. Two «surfaces» come down from the geothermal area and invite you in, made from cor-ten steel plates embodied in the asphalt. They split to individual lines as pedestrian crossing and continues into the geothermal area as one continuous plate. The new crossings defines a quieter zone where toueist busses has their drop-off zones and vehicular traffic in general is kept on the pedestrians terms. A continuous pedestrian zone binds the two crossings and the entrance to the service center together, as well as the materiality of the shared space is changed to slow speed and indicate that the pedestrians are prioritised.

FLOWS WITHIN THE GEOTHERMAL AREA // Within the geothermal area is established a new ring road, and by positioning the new pathway on the northern side of Thykkvihverir you get a better overview of all the smaller pots here. In addition the new pathway gives access to the hotter springs which you can´t reach today. The ring road is water heated and ice-free, and makes a relief to the ground made of sandblasted concrete, with aggregate of the same colour as the on-site sand and gravel. A secondary crossing path is executed as a cor-ten steel rib structure also water heated by the flexible pipes which binds the ribs together – these ribs functions as an ice-free carpet laid out over the wet areas and let the overflowing water run through while you pass over dry. The paths to view-points, Laugarfell top and the Kings rocks are visually enhanced with abstract cor-ten «rocks» as guiding rocks as markers.

ELEMENTS // The ring road: surface relief in sandblasted concrete with cor-ten steel edge as guide line. / Secondary crossing: «carpet» og cor-ten steel rib structure./ Sightseeing platforms: Cor-ten steel plates with slits marking directions to springs / Bridges: Cor-ten steel plates covering small streams where they cross the ring road./ Main sign: Bigger cor-ten steel plate vertically extended from the edge with area description. / Signs: Tilted signs made of cor-ten steel plates, attached to the edge. / Bench: Cor-ten steel edge extended and bent to facilitate sitting with a / Guiding rocks, embodied: embodied cor-ten plates with edge illumination / Guiding rocks, free standing: Cor-ten abstract rocks along secondary paths / Fence towards the road: The Cor-ten edge is extended to form pillars for steel mesh.

The new ring road forms a new loop which circumferes the hot spring Blesi. All elements attaches themselves to this new main loop – the sightseeing platforms are bent out from the edge, the benches and signs are extended and bent from the edge, the guiding rocks are embodied into the road surface or placed onto the terrain guiding along the secondary paths. The crossing south of Strokkur is also a highly visible secondary path, which functionally lets the water run through and under it. The pathways to Konungshver / viewpoint / Konungssteinar / Háihver / Laugarfell are less used and the free-standing rocks are enough to guide the visitors through the landscape and prevent damage to the terrain.

MATERIALITY // Few, but robust lasting materials, are chosen to blend into the surroundings and avoid greater visual impact. «Gravel roads» made from sandblasted in-situ concrete, with aggregate of locally collected materials to further blend into the landscape. The ring road is percieved as a relief to the slightly undulating landscape. Water pipes run through the pathways, thus preventing ice and slippery conditions for unprepared visitors. Cor-ten steel as contrast material makes up the edges / wetland paths / sightseeing platforms / signs / benches and guiding rocks. Flexible water pipes are also used as the structural element for the cor-ten steel ribs of the wetland pathways, and underneath the sightseeing platforms. Fluorescent painted text and lines / QR-codes as visual contrast for signage and presentations.

COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION STRATEGY // To avoid many large signs with plenty of text scattered around the area, it is suggested to place one main sign at the entrance / exit points which explains more thoroughly the geology and history of the geothermal area with written text. At every point of interest there are instead placed name-signs with an additional unique QR-code that takes you to a web-site with more specific information about each hot spring. Such an interactive digital solution is also more suitable to use educationally, where for instance school classes can use the web-site both for preparation and post visit assignments and information gathering. The QR-codes are painted on transparent plastic plates, embodied into the cor-ten metal signs, so that they are changeable if needed.

Extension to Sundhöllin Reykjavik

In late autumn 2013 there was held an open competition for the new extension and outdoor swimming pools at the old swimming hall Sundhöllin in Reykjavík. The competition received 23 entries. The existing listed building makes designing the extension an especially demanding task, since the adaptions in the original building must be kept at an absolute minimum. The main aim of this proposal is to make an extension that doesn´t compete or reduce the value of the original design.

You enter Sundhöllin through the existing entrance, and past the former ticket sales (now transformed into wardrobes for handicapped) into the new extension, where you find the new ticket sales together with the waiting room and cafe. This space opens spaciously out into the pool landscape, and even from the sidewalk outside you are given a good overview of the complete pool areas – as if you were window shopping in down-town Reykjavik. You can intuitively decide that you want to go for a swim, when experiencing the lively athmosphere inside from the street.

The new female wardrobes are situated next to the new ticket sales – the layout is inspired by the «klefar» in the existing building with a dry and a wet zone – but translated into modern aesthetics as an open solution with movement around the cabinets as free standing objects. The wardrobes has a completely translucent facade towards the pools, thus having abundant natural light and in the dark hours the wardrobe acts as outdoor artificial lighting for the pool landscape.

The outdoor wardrobes are situated on the basement level in the space between old and new buildings – the buildings themselves act as skylights filtering the light down to the colourful crystalline character of the wardrobe interiors. From the outdoor wardrobes there is direct entry up to the outdoor swimming pools through covered flights of stairs. The rest of the administration is placed in a string at the basement level ending with the staff facilities and administration offices towards the eastern lower level staff parking.

The new outdoor pool landscape is narrow and outstretched and resembles the proportions of the indoor pool. The 25m swimming pool is placed closest to the entry, with good overview both from here and from the ramp leading up to the roof level of the wardrobes. A combination of a childrens pool and two «heitir pottar» is placed in the middle as a family area with good overview, and the landing pool for the waterslide, with massage showers and waterfall are placed towards the edge of the pool area to the south-east. An axis crossing the pool landscape connects the new pool landscape with the two old «heitir pottar», a new «kaldur pottur», the existing entrance to the indoor pool, the new steam baths with restareas as well as to the upper level through a set of stairs.