Europan Norway

This project explores suburban design,taking the hothouse as point of de-parture. Hothouses are historically associated with great possibilities in sustaining life andmoving boundaries. As the boundaries of the urban fabric of Stavanger are to bemoved into the agrarian landscape, the generator is a field of glasshouses.

The building pattern, showing four blocksspread out into the landscape, is exploringsocial space in suburbia on several levels: Housing units with shared glasshousesform buildings of various lengths.The project explores the relationship betweeninside and outside, defining the landscape between the blocks as an attractive area forwalks and horse riding. On a more centralspot a local market place may be located.

The proposal operates with a flexible structure, allowing a rich variety of typologies, based on the 8 x 8 m grid.Hothouses are spread across the field as ob-jects of attraction, signs of growth and pos-sibilities for the future. The inhabitants ofthe Stavanger-region may rent a unit as anallotment garden, or the greenhouses mayprove useful for commercial or scientificpurposes, in the period before buildingstarts.The flexible blocks can easily be appliedto the varying topography, and existingbuilding structure. All housing units liewithin a radius of 0.5 kilometres from publictransport.

(Text by April Arkitekter)

Stavanger´s system of connected green spaces works as a belt of disposed corridors. Activit producing fabrics touching program attracting bands, ephemerally invaded with automatic states of use.Mousse atomises dwelling tissue into bubble-units permeating activity to shared connected green belts.

Lets think of houses as spatial translation of both intimate social bonds and personal-scale investment strategy. As most of occidental urban fabrics, Stavanger’s has proved to fail in synchronising renovation of personal ties, adaptation of spatial support and property investment management. Mousse performs simultaneously as a value-market and a compensatingchamber, providing a legal and economical base for an efficient, secure and rapid adaptation of property management and spatial configuration to changing states of need, related to change in basic social ties. Awareness makes an issue of contemporary metropolis. Legibility of urban processes, makes possible the equalitarian social integration of individuals.

(Text by Andres Jaque and Herminia Vegas )

The growth of the city and the expansion on virgin farmland should provide a need for an
alternative type of housing.The need for an alternative type of architecture
that opens for alternative living in the suburban zones is pressing. The marking of the city boundaries is not high rise housing or monuments but a creation of interesting living
areas with strongly emphasized character.

Our task in this Europan entry is to develop different types of housing in the suburban border context. The types respond to different conditions in the culture landscape. Either the forest type, the open field type, or the type of allotments. All emphasizing the garden, the growth and fertility as the important aspect of lifestyle, and as such connecting a
modern urban life to the ideal life in the countryside.
The theme of the main focus area is the building type of simple, small, standardized, pre-made wooden buildings and gardens of greenhouses. The green house opens the possibilities to grow exotic plants and vegetation or simply provide covered space for different interest and different activity. As a connecting element throughout the area is the public bothanical path.  Walking along the path south to north - the activities and bothanical themes sequences

(Text by team 70 nord)