Portfolio by Inge Rosén Langdalen

PORTFOLIO Inge Rosén Langdalen Master of landscape architecture AHO | UiT

Table of content

Studio projects Argentiera | The Mistral garden

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Gardermoen | Common Ground

Kolås | Soil quarries for a post-human welfare state

Láhpoluoppal | The shifting sands of Guovdageaidnu - Discrete monuments to a changing climate

Ballstad | Towards a Fenology of Place

Tranby | SLOAP valley

Brynseng | Campus Brynseng + The Green Vertebrae

Competitions Tromsø | Ebb and Flow

Exhibitions

Sortland sentrum | Studio NN

Model comissions

Sortland sentrum | Studio NN

The Mistral Garden Plant nursery for a changing climate Design Project, collaborative (Alla Onopchenko) 2023 | Mediterranean botanical garden | AHO AHO works nominee Introduction. The studio proposes a botanical garden on the island of Sardinia - each individual project contributing to the whole. This project investigates the potential of atmospheric conditions as a natural extension of landscapes and sites, and the role of plant nurseries as spatial mediators of climate change. Problem. The Mediterranean basin is one of the major biodiversity hotspots on earth; both because of its beneficial climate, and because of its varied geography. Increasing temperatures represent a major threath to the vulnerable, highly specialized ecosystems and settlements of the Mediterranean islands; among them Sardinia. How should architecture - and specifically botanical gardens - engage with this change? Concept. What we need are landscapes that can hold both past and future at the same time - like a temporal bridge, granting us safe passage from one state to another. An ideal typology for this is a plant nursery – a space where a large diversity of young, vulnerable trees can survive and become strong enough to survive out in the open; creating and projecting resilient diversity to other, less sheltered parts of the landscape.

Key words: climate change, island ecosystems, botanical gardens, production landscapes

Context - The Mediterranean basin

Strategy - In between ground and atmosphere

Climate shift and species migration

How to design a micro-climate

With an expected temperature increase of 3 ° to 5 ° C, potential evapotranspiration in the Mediterranean basin is expected to reach an

As designers engaging with climate change, we must start with thermodynamics: how energy from the sun flows in and out of landscapes

average of 200 mm annually, which is equivalent to a loss of 50 mm in annual rainfall. The expected shifts in vegetation belts will be an

and shape the conditions for life. This energy is mitigated from space to the earth’s surface through the atmosphere, which elements and

upward shift of approx. 545 m in altitude and a 50–80 km northwards shift in latitude.

factors together constitute a particular climate – temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind and precipitation.

This will lead to a gradual ecological migration from areas further south, where plants have adapted to the harsh conditions over milennia.

What we work with is thus “the micro-climate”, and how spatial interventions on site can condition this transfer of energy in a way that is

On islands like Sardinia, species will have less space to migrate, and could go extinct before they have time to adapt.

both interesting and beneficial.

Site - The valleys of Argentiera Finding shelter The proposed botanical garden is situated in Argentiera; an old mining settlement on the north-western shores of Sardinia. By analysing the climatic conditions of the surrounding area, we arrived at a site located in a small, sheltered valley just north of the town. This valley is one of the least polluted areas in the region, and creates it’s own favourable micro-climate protected from the Mediterranean sun and the harsh oceanic winds. Most importantly the Sirocco, the Grecale, and the Mistral; a legendary and extremely powerfull wind from north-west that can bend trees and errode topsoil.

Spatial programming

Accessability network

Irrigation system

Built structures

The main spatial intervention consists of 8 terraces along

The accessability network consists of a circular road for

Water is collected from the entire hillside above the site,

Two existing buildings are integrated into the nursery. An

both sides of the valley, based on a strict cut and fill

cars along the entire perimeter of the site, transporting

drained through a channel along the road, and stored in a

old ruin in the valley bottom is refurbished and equipped

procedure. 5 terraces make up the rationalized production

trees in and out of the nursery, and a smaller, undulating

drop-shaped dam above the nursery - where it can be let

with new walls and a wind-tower. This is the laboratory.

space of the nursery, while the other 3 become public

path for pedestrians down through the valley bottom. Stairs

out on demand. Water for tree production is brought to the

A residential building on the left is fitted with a pool, and

spaces for potential visitors.

provide access between terraces.

site, and stored in tanks on each of the terraces.

houses shade- and moisture needing plants.

Sheltered valley / past Endemic species The sheltered valley bottom is the most protected and irrigated part of the nursery, and will be a sanctuary for fragile, endemic species that won’t be able to survive on Sardinia in the future. Here, plants will be carefully collected from surrounding areas, and hosted on a permanent basis.

Windswept hill / present Mix

The windswept hill is protected from the scorching sun, but faces directly towards the Mistral. Here, both new and existing species will co-exist; gradually getting used to both eachother and the harsh environment they will live in after their time in the nursery is over.

South-facing slope / future New species The south facing slope will endure extremely high temperatures during summer, but relatively little wind. Here, new species from regions further south in the Mediterranean is produced, contributing to the gradual change that are bound to come.

The Mistral Garden Plant nursery for a changing climate In this way, the nursery could become its own sort of island – a “climatic island” – both supporting species from the past that would otherwise go extinct, and producing species for the a future that will inevitably take hold. Part production facility, part public space, it offers a synthesis across both past and future, landscape and architecture, and aesthetics and use. ”Botanical gardens” have traditionally functioned as a form of museum; projecting a static view of nature as something eternal and original. But nature is always changing, and this change is really the reason we have this magnificent diversity we see today. Could this fact be recognized and even celebrated in the design of our surroundings?

Common Ground Bridging the past and future of logistics on the Gardermoen delta Design Project, collaborative (Roger Walvåg) 2023 | All you can store | AHO

Introduction. The regional landscape of Gardermoen is shaped by a vast gravel delta formed by glacial streams during the last ice age, and has a rich geological- and cultural history that is preserved within the fine-grained texture of the landscape itself. Problem. This seemingly flat, homogenous surface has been gradually colonized by large-scale, international business programs that cares little for the local context, and proposes to simply erase all topography and parcel the land into rectangular plots. The most recent addition to this is a proposed business-park and socalled ”smart city” that will claim vast areas of land and disrupt the local economy. What will the future hold for these peri-urban ”heterotopias”? Concept. This project is a critical, landscape-sensitive alternative to the large-scale logistical parks we commonly see today. By activating and integrating the below- and the above ground, it aims to establish flexible and robust landscape framework that has the capacity to both accept the present reality, and guide it towards a more integrative and circular future - in line with the EU sustainability goals.

Key words: economic transitions, logistical parks, territorial restructuring, regional identity

Territorial structure Aquifer Archipelago The Gardermoen delta consists of a vast gravel deposit that today hosts the Oslo Airport and an extensive gravel-extraction industry. Both the airport and the gravel industry relates most strongly to international trade-networks, and cares little for the local context. But

1. Business as usual

while the airport sees only a flat surface - the excavators deals only with the vertical section of the landscape.

Municipal regulation plan

We therefore wanted to portray this deposit as a vast, 3-dimentional object - an aquifer - connected to a complex underground system of

Municipal planning documents tell of a rationalized, top-

waterflows and sediment layers. This ”organ” formed the basis for our design.

down vision for Gardermoen. The new business park sits like a cancerous tumor right between Jessheim and the airport; completely out of scale, and with no reference to the regional context or history of the site. Is this a viable way to build?

2. Spatial strategy Resistance map Finding something to ”hold on to” in a landscape made entirely of sand is difficult. Our solution was to highlight the fragile but distinct microtopography in the area, created by both glacial streams and gravel extraction, along with the existing plot lines and historical traces. Thus we were able to pull out and preserve some layers, while surpressing and changing others.

3. Landscape framework Clearings in the forest The resulting landscape framework fits neatly into existing models of large-scale logistics, while both mediating their many faults and guiding future development in a more sustainable direction. Effectively organized clearings with industry lie amidst a dynamic green network, connecting every part of the site to a larger ecological framework. A circular road network in the middle gives access to the highway, while smaller roads connects to suburban areas. 10

Strategy 1 / above ground Forest volumes + Edge conditions The framework consists of two systems superimposed on top of eachother, and two strategies for further development. The above ground system grows out of the forgotten layer of cultural practices and landscape mosaics, and deals with the composition and texture of the forest volumes and dynamic edge conditions on site. It consists of a system of open clearings amidst a closed matrix of forest. Some clearings are intended for industry, while others become patches of open grazing land that are developed over time to support local agriculture.

Strategy 2 / below ground Ground cover + Water management The below ground system grows out of the hidden layer of geological history and ground water hydrology, shaped over millennia by glacial meltwater streams, and deals with water management and ground cover on site. It consists of a network of undulating corridors, stretching out through the forest and providing structure and accessability to the vast, open landscape. In the clearings, these become permable areas for water infiltration. In the forest, they become pathways for pedestrians. And in the open land they become hotspots for soil remediation.

Common Ground Bridging the past and future of logistics on the Gardermoen delta A detail of the flow line shows the transition from the operational space of the industrialized clearing, to the dynamic edge condition of the surrounding forest, to the open grazingland that will some day support agriculture. In the clearing, round potholes modeled on glacial lakes store runoff water from industrial activity, and clean it before it once again enters the groundwater table. In the forest belt, rounded hills shaped like drumlins become visual markers in the flat landscape, and two undulating pathways provide access for pedestrians. In the open grazingland, fences separate livestock from people, and create a patchwork of islands for flowers and pollinators. In between, allées of fruit trees criss-cross through the landscape, taking up the pattern left by glacial meltwater streams thousands of years ago.

For the future... In the future, when the industry and logistics are taken down and the area has converted to a regional economy, the clearings are to be developed with smaller buildings with a wide variety of different programs, and the post-glacial flowlines have taken over as the dominant organizational principle. In this way, we are able to deploy the economic momentum generated from these places to ”lift off” from old, outdated modes of space production, and fly up into a more sustainable future.

Kolås Soil quarries for a post-human welfare state Design Project, individual 2022 | Edge Landscapes | AHO

Introduction. There is a certain relationality we often overlook when dealing with land management. Drawing a border, e.g., does not only produce an inside, but also an adjacent outside. And although they appear as separate, they are really one. Problem. The marka border from 1934 did not only secure vast areas of forest around Oslo, it also allowed for the near total destruction of the marine soils and calcareous landscapes within its limits. By making a protected inside «over there», we gave rise to a capitalized outside «over here», and care was displaced from our everyday environs to far away places of supposed «untouched nature». Concept. Biological succession is a term used for when large, homogenous entities break down into smaller, heterogenous parts, generating a rich strata with emergent properties - soil. The time for simple, positivist categories and dichotomous relationships is over. Perhaps a similar process needs to happen to the way we manage landscapes and delineate space? This project investigates the entangled edge conditions of the Oslo marka, and looks at Kolås - a small sattelite city from the 60s - as a template for puncturing these dichotomous relationships, and bringing back care to the places we inhabit.

Key words: land management, edge dynamics, mixed-use strategies, urban gardening, soil

Territorial structure / Oslo metropolitan area By highlighting areas around Oslo that are both below the marine border (blue line), and within the marka border (green line), you find places that have the potential for fertile soil, and are protected by law (red hatch). If you overlay this structure with calcareous bedrock (light pink), and compare it with remaining agriculture (yellow), you find the specific fields around Oslo that have the best possibility of soil regeneration, and that are protected from future development (black). Hestejordene on Kolås is one of these remaining sites. The Oslo metropolitan area is defined by a set of edge conditions compromised of the marine border, the marka border and the urban built border. Rich, calcareous bedrock cover the lower regions, together with thick deposits of marine clay left over from the last ice age.

In most places, these borders overlap almost perfectly. But at some critical points, the marine border stretches out behind the marka border and creates pockets of fertile, protected land. On the edge of these zones, a small number of fields also fall under the cambrosilurian belt of calcareous bedrock, with rich soils and unusually high biodiversity.

These individual fields constitute a valuable natural and a cultural legacy in Oslo - the last remnants of a lost landscape that sits in between the stark dichotomies of the industrialized city and the naturalized marka. Neither fully urban, nor fully non urban, neither city nor hinterland, these sites points towards a more entangled and integrative way of space management.

Landscape conditions / Groruddalen and marka This condition - where just a small handfull of pockets with fertile soil has been preserved on the edge of expansive urbanization only because of the arbitrary placement of some administrative line - is symptomatic of certain tendencies in our society. It comes from the belief that by separating the world into clear categories we are somehow able to manage, control and also protect it. But every protected ”inside” has its unprotected ”outside”. So by creating marka, we allowed ourselves to destroy Groruddalen. marine sediments already built over

marine sediments protected by law

marine sediments in risk of urban expansion

Existing situation

Strategy

Krigsskolen

Edge dynamics

Zooming in on Kolås, we see a fragmented and conflicted space with a long history. In the center we find Hestejordene, an

My strategy is to use the military facility and municipal property as a testing ground or experiment. What would happen if we explode

old cultural landscape. To the north and west we find marka. And to the south we find a thin strip of urban development called

this rigid infrastructure and let marka, the cultural landscape, the urban and the industry all seep in and somehow coexist? Could this

Sletteløkka. Stretching across all this, there is a huge military facility - Krigsskolen - sitting on a municipal property left over from

”experimental neighborhood” become an alternative to how we mange space in complex, precarious edge conditions such as these?

the post-war welfare state. This facility has for long been pressing up against both the precarious community below and the cultural landscape above, and are now planning for further expansion. Is this the right land-use for this space?

Context

Administrative borders

Landscape borders

Focus area

Starting point - Edge dynamics

1. New urban border...

2. New marka border...

Result - Porous neighborhoods

Expel the military from the area but keep the municipal property, allowing for experimental, non-commercial development between forest and urban conditions.

Dissolve the strict military infrastructure facing Sletteløkka and convert the existing buildings into housing + level out the steep slopes going down from the two plateaus into traversable corridors.

Dissolve the strict marka border north of the area and let the forest move further inn, creating both a more dynamic forest edge, plateaus for urban agriculture and corridors of meadows and grasslands.

Here, the former military area could function as a kind of medium or strata; a substance that emerges into being only when other substances come into contact with each other. Kind of like soil, which only forms when the lithosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere interact under the right conditions.

marka forest

municipal property

within marka + below marine border

industry / suburban

cultural landscape

military facility

calcareous bedrock

forest

urban

17 marine sediments

Landscape intervention

Design

”The soil quarry”

Slate landscapes...

Because the nature we need to protect now is not somewhere ”out there”, beyond the city and beyond the human; it is right

The design is based on a strict cut/fill procedure - flat pieces of slate is to be taken out of the steep hills that was blasted

here in our own backyard. My design question is then: how can we use landscape architecture to connect our everyday

out to make room for parking, processed to varying size fractions, and then distributed out in the landscape to form both

environments to vital processes of the biosphere?

an accessability network and a community center in Kolås, that at the same time functions as a soil-producing green

Such an intervention could look like many things. But right here - where there are almost no topsoil, but rich calcareous

infrastructure for the local inhabitants. This happens when the pieces of slate interact with downfall from trees and other

bedrock - it could look like a ”soil quarry”. The soil quarry does not entail an actual quarry where soil is extracted, but

vegetation, and both substances are broken down and mixed through biological succession.

points openly to a decentralized landscape infrastructure that is somehow linked to the deep time process of soil formation and biological succession.

Location

Concept

The soil quarry is centered on the two small hills and flat surfaces in the center of the area, together with the leveled corridors down through Sletteløkka. Here, three corresponding structures consisting of a community garden, an amfi theater, and a path / staircase are placed.

The intervention thus combines the three central typologies we see around Kolås, the stone quarry, the agricultural fields and the marka forest - all associated with rural hinterlands - and tries to bring them into an urban context.

1. Community garden The community gardens are located on the former parking lots of the military area, right in front of the amfi theaters cut out to provide slate rocks for the interventions. Asphalt is removed, and large slabs of slate are placed vertically in a grid pattern to form an oval shape. Here, downfall from trees + kitchen scraps from the inhabitants make up the strata.

3. Staircase

2. Forest path The forest paths are located on the dry, pine covered hills protruding up from the flattened terrain, creating accessibility and direction throughout the remaining forest. Pieces of slate are placed horizontally on the ground in site-specific patterns, curving out to form circles around existing deciduous trees. Here, downfall from trees make up the strata.

2. Forest path

Amfi theater

1. Community garden

3. Staircase The staircases are located on the steep slopes going down into the ravine valley (north), and the urbanized planes of the Grorud valley (south). Rectangular, medium-sized pieces of slate are placed vertically in the terrain to form leveled steps down through the dense vegetation. Here, they gradually accumulate both water, sediments and downfall from trees.

For the future... Reflecting on the typology of ”quarry” in this way opens the door to many interesting discussions around nature, resource extraction, capitalism and sustainablity in general. Because while it is clear that we need to somehow break away from todays commercialized, neo-liberal mode of space production, we cannot simply return to some updated version of the post-war welfare state. It was a product of western modernity, and privileged the human in such a way that we can no longer defend. My project is an attempt to imagine actual, practical ways of engaging with this dilemma - not through diagrammatic zoning plans, but through strategic landscape architectural interventions. ”Soil quarries for a post-human welfare state” is one example of what this could look like.

today... ?

1920 - 1970 socialism and public welfare plan economy modernism

pr 1800

anthropocene degrowth sustainability sircular economy

small scale agriculture communal life self-relience 1800 - 1920 industrialization large-scale resource extraction liberalization

1970 - 2010 globalism marked capitalism deregulation industrial out-sourcing

The shifting sands of Guovdageaidnu Discrete monuments to a changing climate Design Project, individual 2022 | Landscape practices | AHO/UiT

Introduction. As the climate changes from one state to another, material traces are always left behind. These stand as “discrete monuments” to a world in flux, telling stories that might otherwise be forgotten. Problem. This project investigates the complex, fluid and interdependent landscapes of the Finnmark Plateau through the lens of glacial sand deposits. Sand constitutes a distinctly temporal and uncertain material, created through millennia of erosion and sedimentation. Whithin its shifting layers, we see both a natural resource for the construction industry, and a witness to the passing of time. Concept. As a conceptual framework, I have separated the litosphere and the hydrosphere into two different realms, connected by the carbon cycle and the hydrological cycle. Where these two realms intersect, we see a third landscape. This is the enmeshed product of ice (the cryosphere) and organic life (the biosphere): two temporary forms that the mentioned cycles may take on their journey through earth. These materials become “lively” in a distinct way, in that they both shape and are shaped by the land, forming a complex, reciprocal system where it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends, or when something is a process in time or an object in space.

Key words: climate change, natural resource extraction, indigenous land management, geological heritage, landart

Regional scale // Guovdageaidnu

Layers of time

The Finnmark Plateau is almost completely covered by sediments from the last ice age. For the most part, this is moraine - unsorted material of both sand, gravel and rocks. But in the meltwater channels beneath the former glacier, usually in valley bottoms, glacial rivers deposited long ridges of stradified sand called “eskere”. These deposits are the only sediments currently classified as mineral rescources, and are used extensively for road construction.

The landscape in Láhpoluoppal exposes two different narratives, superimposed on each other like faded writing. The first narrative is that of the glacier, moving from south to north with unstoppable force. Here, the drumlins stand as witnesses. The second narrative is that of the rivers, slowly carving a path through the masses of sediments. Here, the eskere (sand deposits) stand as witnesses. Together, they become actors in a tale of climate change and vibrant matter.

Ecology - The reindeer migration

Hydrology - The river valleys

Infrastructure - The mineral extraction industry

glacial sand deposits

forest (under treeline)

floodplains

registered eskere

reindeer migration

lakes

sand/gravel extraction

rivers

road network mineral resources

new river valley sand deposit

old river valley

drumlins

Láhpoluoppal school

20 km

Náhpoljohka river

Territorial Scale // Náhpoljohka

glacial sand deposits forest (under treeline) reindeer migration

Moraine are sometimes deposited as long, drop shaped hills called “drumlins”, oriented along the direction of the glacial flow. Drumlins are an integral part of the Finnmark plateau, where they form a set of low ridges oriented from south water direction

to north. Later, meltwater channels and post glacial rivers has cut through these glacier direction

formations, and imprinted a different logic on the landscape. This is particularly evident in Láhpoluoppal, which is in fact situated on the remains of an old glacial sand deposit right next to the present day Náhpoljohka river.

1000 m

Landscape scale // Láhpoluoppal Láhpoluoppal school

Zooming in on this deposit, we see a low eskere right in the middle of two river valleys - one old and one new. These rivers has carved into the landscape over millennia, and shaped the eskere into a distinct and recognizable landscape feature aproximately 17 meters high and 700 meters long. This landform is the basis for the project.

200 m

The Finnmark plateau The situation in Láhpoluoppal is by no means unique, but highlights the landscape processes that shaped the Finnmark plateau, and created its distinct territorial structure - the river valleys. At the bottom, we find the present day rivers, draining the numerous lakes and marshes on the plateau. A little higher up, we find the long, stratified ridges of glacial sand deposited by meltwater channels. In between, we find the human infrastructure, with roads, powerlines and settlements. And crossing through, reindeer migrate from hill to hill on their way from north to south, sometimes competing with windmill farms and mining operations.

road

power line

river

eskere

The ridge wind speed section

Longitudinal section The glacial deposit in Láhpoluoppal forms an elongated ridge from south to north, situated between an old riverbed turned marshland, and a new riverbed with extensive floodplains. Its inner composition is defined by slightly tilted layers of stratified sand, coarser at the bottom and finer towards the top.

Cross section As the landform interacts with natural processes and climatic conditions, a complex set of landscape conditions arise, fluctuating with the seasons. The wind comes from southwest, depositing large amounts of snow on both riverbeds. The sun stands in the south, shading the old riverbed in the morning, and the new in the evening. maximum solar radiation

wind speed gradient

Climate change and the Arctic Nowhere in Norway is the climate changing faster than on the Finnmark plateau. In summer, this leads to an increase in biomass where meadows are replaced by shrubs and trees. In winter, it leads to frequent melt-freeze cycles and locked pastures. Combined with increased precipitation, Finnmark could transition into a new climatic zone.

Intervention 1 - Cut / Expose

Intervention 2 - Fill / Engrave

The intervention is divided into two parts, where the former determines the layout of the latter, thus forming a dynamic sequence or

The second part of the intervention consists of carefully redistributing the excavated sand in a way as to capture and engrave

process.

future climate change that might occur in the area.

The first step is to dig out a V shaped cut into the glacial deposit, exposing the stratified layers of time embedded within. The amount

Instead of focusing on a few specific vectors and amplifying these, I chose to simply expose the sand structure to as many variables as

dug out equals 13255 cubic meters of sand, or 21000 metric tons. Because the layers are slightly tilted, each side of the cut will be

possible - both climatic, biotic and cultural.

different. The design draw on both the road constructions that glacial sand are used for, and the eskere formations themselves, and consists of an elongated ridge stretching 390 m through the cut, across both the old and the new riverbed. This ridge becomes a form of section or gradient, accentuating the varied (and rapidly changing) landscape conditions in the area. 13255 m(3) = 21000 metric tons

A. B.

50 m

bedrock

moraine

glaci-fluvial sand

excavated material

50 m

900 years

10 000 years

11 000 years

13 000 years

16 000 years

18 000 years

20 000 years

20 m

80 m

Discrete Monuments to a changing climate

Aesthetics for the Anthropocene

Here, it would interact with the ever changing dynamics of both the yearly cycles and the long arc of geological time, continuously

All across the arctic, we see an increasing number of scientific measuring stations, built in order to monitor the rapid changes. My

morphing and evolving in response to its immediate environment.

project stand in relation to these structures. By utilizing material left over from climate change, landscape architecture has the potential to transform these into spatial, aesthetic experiences.

Linking the ridge to multiple aspects of the landscape in this way makes it respond quickly to changes, as well as storing these changes in the form of layers and sediments. Thus it becomes “The shifting sands of Guovdageaidnu - a discrete monument to a changing

These kind of ”monuments” transcends both capitalist resource management and scientific objectification, and lies much closer to

climate”.

the indigenous sámi notion of landscape - Meahcci - where the world is fundamentally relational, and where the boundaries between nature and culture are blurred. Modern western society is on the verge of an ontological shift, and I think landscape architecture

But the intention is not to impose my grand vision onto the landscape, but to ”set the stage” for the landscape to express itself. And

could contribute to that in meaningful ways.

this will not be singular voices, either arguing or talking in unison, but a polyphony of reciprocity - a continuously unfolding process without discernible origin or central agency.

intervention

excavated sand

Láhpoluoppal school

Ballstad Towards a fenology of place Design project, individual 2021 | Fellesrom, sted og territorier i nord | AHO

Introduction. Ballstad is a small fishing community situated on an island on the southern tip of Lofoten. Like many rural communities it is struggeling to find its place in todays globalized society and managing the brutal effects of neoliberal capitalism. Problem. In Lofoten, powerfull forces within the fishing industry favor the biggest vessels that can carry the most cargo. As a consequence, harbours grow out of all proportions. The most recent event in this development is a planed dredging of the narrow strait, and construction of a vast industrial area connected to Ballstad slip. Concept. In my project, I want to use the ecological concept of ”fenology” - how plants change according to season - to create a landscape sensitive alternative to this approach, sustaining economic activity without sacrificing social and ecological sustainability.

Key words: rural settlements, resource management, neoliberal development, seasonal use, social and ecological sustainablility

Territorial mapping This cartography highlights the unique landscape features in Lofoten as territory. The most fundamental spatial feature in the landscapes of Lofoten involves the transition from tall mountains, to the thin, urbanized strandflate, to the vast ocean, with its matrix of shallow straits and small islands.

Introduction - Ballstad slip Ballstad slip was founded in 1918, and is one of the key economic drivers on the island. Fishermen from the whole region comes here to service their boats, bringing a constant stream of cash into the local community. With the larger fishing vessels, however, the slip is forced to expand their capacity. The most recent event in this development is a planed dredging of the narrow strait, and construction of a vast industrial area connected to Ballstad slip. Below you see the municipal zoning plan behind this initiative, and the architectural proposal for its construction. Does this work as place development? What will happen to Ballstad as ecological structure and democratic public space?

Municipal zoning plan. Source: Vest Vågøy kommune

Architectural proposal. Source: Vaag arkitekter

Concept - fenology of place This development is problematic in light of the larger landscape structures on the island. Is there an alternative? The map below highlits 3 important features: 1. the coastline is becoming completely urbanized, breaking ecological connections. 2. The few public spaces left on the island are being devoured by expanding harbours. 3. The whole island is experiencing a functional seperation between industry, housing and nature. I don´t think the new slip is going to help mediate any of these issues.

Point of departure. Proposal from Vaag arkitekter.

Step 1. Establish a divide between new and old slip.

Step 2. Establish connections to surrounding context.

Step 3. Establish 3 ecological gradient + circular path.

Step 4. Establish bufferzones to mediate the transitions.

Result. Dynamic and multufunctional industrial area.

My concept then, is to introduce the slip to the heavely fluctuating climatic conditions of the Arctic, and let it adapt to their rhythm. That is to say; introduce a fenology of place. This will include establishing a clear divide between the new and the old slip, and let them operate at different times throughout the year, based on varying levels of fishing activity. In this way, the surrounding areas can be sporadically freed up to serve as public space for the community. In addition, it is established 3 ecological gradients down to the ocean, serving as birdshelters during the breeding season.

Spatial programming - between old and new My intention, however, is not to intervene in the busy industrial areas of the slip and limit its functionality in favor of social and ecological sustainability. That is to say; I never saw the slip as something degraded and corrupt that needed to be tamed, controlled and morally policed from the outside. My intention is rather to expand and enrich its function as urban center by introducing it to the landscapes own rhythms, and let it fluctuate with these. In this way, life will be able to seep in between the gaps, and create positive synergies across industry, tourism and the local cumminity.

Spring. The seasonal cod fishery is in full swing, and both shipyards are in operation. The ecological gradiants become shelters for breeding seabirds.

Summer. The fish migrate out to deeper waters, and only the old shipyard is in operation. The new one functions as concert hall and large public space, with connections to existing tourist facilities.

Autumn/winter. The tourists have left Ballstad, and only the local population remain. Just the new shipyard is in operation. The old one functions as museum and public space, with connection to existing communal facilities.

Ecological gradients The gradients are designed as a wedgeshaped cuts into the industrial area, mimicking the many fjords and beaches of the Lofoten archipelago. This extends the total circumference of the slip, and creates a varied set of edges between land and sea.

Tranby SLOAP Valley Design project, collaborative (Oscar Løddesøl, Marie Gylseth, Jakub Sefa) 2020 | By og arkitektur | AHO

Introduction. Tranby is a small town situated on the edge of the Lier valley; one of the country’s most significant agricultural areas. At the same time, it is in constant danger of being svallowed by the greater Oslo region, turning into a sleepy commuter town. These two contexts create a paradox in Tranby, and the town is in need of a new vision. Problem. SLOAP is a word used by architects, and refer to space left over after planning. Tranbys development has to a large extent been shaped by industrial development, and many parts of the surrounding landscape is now being eaten away by malls, parking lots and warehouses. Concept. In our project, we want to take a critical stand towards monofunctional land use, and develop a new typology for the integration of industry and architecture in a peri-urban context

Key words: peri-urban settlements, decentralization, agriculture, industrial development, multi-functional landuse

Problem 1 - det fragmenterte Problem 1. It is fragmented and poorly connected 1. Det fragmenterte

Problem 2 - det ubalanserte Problem 2. Its functions are not mixed, but seperated 2. Det ubalanserte

The paradox of Tranby

Problem 3. Its facilities are poor and underdeveloped

All towns and cities are part of a range of different urban context, but how they operate is defined by the one that are most well established. At the moment, Tranby is defined mostly by its position in the greater Oslo region, which makes it into a small commuter town. Why is Tranbys identity and structure so weak?

Hydrology

Spatial qualities

Territorial mapping This cartography identifies the SLOAP valley as a forgotten landscape structure, with potential to integrate Tranbys fragmentet nature, and form a new urban center. The valley stretches from the old mine to the north, over the highway, and down to the city of Lier, with Damtjern as its gravitational center. However, large scale industry is threatening to take over the beautiful valley, and the old Drammensveien is reduced to heavy traffic ore.

Ecology

Urban structure

We therefor concentradet on two critical points in the valley; the landscape around Damtjern + the industrial area on Liertoppen.

Strategy 1 - The landscape valley The first step is to ”upgrade” the ravine valley around and below Damtjern, from desolate forest area to urban landscape park. This is accomplished by rehabilitating the old Drammensvegen, and establishing a pedestrian path that stretches all the way from Liertoppen down to and over the highway. This path is equipped with stairs that bring you down to the rivers, and plateaus that raise you up into the lush canopy.

Strategy 2 - The urban center The second step is a gradual and long term transformation of Liertoppen from industrial wasteland to multifunctional urban center. This is accomplished by splitting up the large volumes into smaller modules, changing the mobility network to fit this and then introduce a mixed program. The new building modules can easely be adjusted to fit the terrain, and will host both housing, commerce and recreation. In between them, there are large public spaces, and a staircase gives easy access to Damtjern.

For the future... There is a lot of similar industrial areas all around rural Norway, and Lier is no exception. If successfull, our strategy could therefore serve as a new typology for how large scale industry might be integrated into the local community. In this way, small towns like Tranby might be better equipped to deal with the powerfull forces of rurbanization.

Brynseng The bluegreen vertebrae Design project, collaborative + individual (Fredrik Van Der Horst) 2020 | Systemer - infrastruktur og landskap | AHO

Introduction. Brynseng is a small center situated only a few kilometers from Oslo centrum. In spite of this, it is almost completely cut off from the larger urban context and green infrastructure of the city. Problem. This must be viewed in light of the introduction of car-based infrastructure during the 1960’s and 70’s, and the subsequent outsourcing of large-scale industry to the urban perifery. In the face of increasing population growth and housing needs, the city needs to reconsider these wastelands. Concept. Our proposal for Brynseng is based upon a critical reading of municipal planning documents, and aims to formulate a landscape sensitive alternative to neoliberal upzoning of post-war industrial landscapes.

Key words: neoliberal upzoning, urban periferi, post-war industrial landscapes, out-sourcing, blue-green infrastructures

Masterplan - Campus Brynseng | group project (with Fredrik van der Horst) With the new elementary school as social and spatial locus, we chose a strategy based the traditional campus structure of the great universities. The main program consists of a new square in the heart of Brynseng that connects over the subway, thus creating a large public space in front the school. The new blue-green infrastructure makes use of Brynseng’s many parking lots, transforming them into a continuous circle of small public parks. From this, we propose five straight axis from from the main square and all the way out to the cemetery. This connects the two programs, and establishes Brynseng as an effective and readable whole, with clearly defined neighborhoods.

Step 1. Identify parking lots and paved areas.

Step 2. Turn them into urban green spaces, connected by a circular path.

Step 3. Connect everything with a radial campus structure from the new elementary school.

Result. Effective and readable whole, with clearly defined neighborhoods. 40

The bluegreen Vertabrae | individual project

Overview

For my proposal, I chose to work with the axis that carries the most runoff water. The main formal design is to terrace the surface of the axis on strategic places, creating a large staircase. These terraces will function as structuring element for all surrounding spaces.

The section of the axis is designed like an urban gradient, starting with the square, moving into the orchard, and ending up in the neighborhood.

In this way, the axis becomes a kind of bluegreen vertebrae, running through the whole urban structure like a spinal column, carrying both people, water and biodiversity through its neurons. Here it functions as both mobility network, structuring element and architectural space. The axis begins at the new square in front of the school, and runs all the way down to the historic iron foundry to the west of Brynseng. On its way, it borders three of the former parkinglots, now turned into urban parks. These form the basis of my design.

Concept.

The square holds most of the commercial activity, functioning as the economic motor of the whole district. The garden lies at the center of the section, and functions as the main social gatheringplace for both people and nature. The neighborhood is furthest removed from the intense activity on the square, and holds most of the housing facilities.

Program distribution

Spatial organization

Mobility

Blue-green structure

Descending terraces collects and moves surface runoff. Permeable surfaces increases water catchment, and provides substrate.

As mobility network

As structuring element

As architectural space

Section 4. The neigborhood

Section 3. The garden

Section 2. The urban patio

Section 1. The bluegreen vertebrae

The neighborhood.

The garden.

The urban patio.

This describes the end of the axis, and consists of

This describes the central part of the axis, and consists of a large green space that descends all the way down to the

This describes the upper part of the axis, and consists of a former parking

a staircase down into the neighborhood section,

subway. The large building to the north is reprogrammed into a public library, and a wooden bridge provides easy

lot turned urban patio. The slightly withdrawn building to the north becomes

bordering an office building with open first floors.

access over the bioswale in front. The smaller building to the south is turned into a community house, and various

housing facilities, with active first floors out towards the open space. Trees

plantings configure the space.

give shelter.

The bluegreen vertebrae. This describes the design of the the axis itself. A lowered section in the middle with permeable soil holds water and becomes substrate for plants. The raised sides functions as sidewalks for pedestrians.

The garden

Ground layer.

This plan specifies the landscape design of the garden; the most prominent green space along the axis.

The wetland: wet and moist, some grass and small herbs, mostly moss and lichen.

The park is organized into 4 main areas; the wetland, the plateau, the ravine and the orchard.

The plateau: dry and barren, gradient from lawn to meadow and low forest. The ravine: wet and moist, lots of rocks and gravel, little ground layer. The orchard: medium moisture levels, meadow with flowers and small herbs.

Field/shrub layer. The wetland: herbs and tall plants on each side, grass and reeds in the middle. The plateau: dry and barren, very little shrub layer. The ravine: herbs and taller shrubs, gradient from low to tall vegetation towards south. The orchard: only ground and tree layer, not much in between.

Tree layer. The wetland: individual freestanding trees, otherwise litte tree layer. The plateau: open grove with large trees at the top, dense deciduous forest at the bottom. The ravine: gradient from dense and tall forest to lower and more open woodland. The orchard: traditional, geometrically planted rows of apple trees.

Planting strategy

Water runoff

Elevation plan

Construction 1. This section describes the construction of both the permeable layer in the middle of the axis, and the hard edges on either side. Materials: concrete, bricks, soil, river pebbles.

Construction 2. This section describes the bridge that crosses the axis, and forms a public space in front of the library. It also includes the path bordering the garden, and seating elements. Materials: wood (oak), gravel, concrete, soil.

Construction 3. This section describes an area in front of the community house, and includes gorundworks around tha house, the path that leads down from the axis, and the terrain wall in front. Materials: gravel, concrete, bricks, stone (granite)

120 Hours | Tromsø Ebb and Flow 2020 | Competition with Sverre Drange Sletten

In Norway, the currents mainly flow from south to north. Thus, most of the country’s plastic waste drifts upwards, accumulating along south facing bays. We have based our project on one of these sites, namely Telegrafbukta; a small beach located on the southern tip of Tromsøya, equipped with an old breakwater.

Our intervention makes use of this existing feature, extending it into a larger and more sophisticated design. The concept of this structure is a combined breakwater and an artificial reef. The core is constructed from large rocks, while the sides are made of stackable modules, inspired by traditional crab-traps. On the ocean-facing side, these function as plastic collectors. On the other side, they function as shelter for marine wildlife.

Ebb and flow Walking on the thin line on top, the whole space is embedded with the stark contrast between the two sides, and the ebb and flow of the ocean, exposing and revealing the underlying structure, bring to mind our own fluctuating breath.

The peripheral neighbourhood Oslo architecture triennale, exhibition Team member | AHO, norsk bolig- og byplan forening | 2022

Exhibition.

Details.

Exhibition for the 8th Oslo architecture triennale at the former Munk museum. ”The peripheral neighbourhood” was made by Marja Folde and Halvor Ellefsen, as part of the 5th semester ”Studio Bærum Vest” at the Oslo school of architecture and design. Work included: participating in concept development and exhibition layout, gathering data and making strategic basemaps, creating digital drawings and linework for engraving, 3D modeling of buildings, div practical work. Details.

Sortland sentrum Waterfront development, work model Model commision | Studio NN | 2022

Completed scale model.

Model comission from the architecture firm Studio NN to be used in a workshop with Sortland municipality concerning the future redevelopment of the city’s waterfront. Work included: creating a complete digital model of the existing waterfront, implementing changes for the new development, preparing a scale model with appropriate materials, and overseeing the physical production of the final output using CNC mill, lasercutter and 3D printing.

Exhibition.

Photos: Navid Navid

Existing situation. The Sortland waterfront as it looks today.

3D model. Digital model with the new waterfront in place.

Details.