Odda is situated below a major glacier, where the fjord penetrates deep into the mountain massive of Southern Norway. Originally a major tourist destination in Europe, the exploitation of hydro electrical power in the beginning the 20th century transformed the place into a bustling international industrial town. Partial de-industrialization has left Odda with a declining population, but also with the potential for a new identity based on its architectural and industrial history, and for a renewed tourism based on its setting and proximity to two national parks.
Program:
-Multimodality : Odda is reclaiming its role as a tourist attraction by focusing on geotourism. The main focus is now to create a strategic urban development project that establishes a gateway between the commercial town centre, the industrial heritage area and the scenic fjordscape, glaciers and national nature reserve areas.
-Spatial management of cars: Urban dwelling must be combined with sustainable forms of tourism to combine a new urban model that reduces the amount of space devoted to the car.
-Sustainability: The town is looking for a turning point, a strategy for turning heavy industry into a tourist attraction, and an attractive living environemnt. Existing local resources and qualities must be used to trigger new economies in a sustainable way
- Functional mix: Multifunctionality is the basis for a new public character of the site. Urban qualities supplement the landscape as tourist attractors
- Novelty of public spaces: Development of new public spaces is crucial to reengaging the landscape qualities in the urban situation - providing for tourists and at the same time dealing with the changing lifestyles of the population