Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna by Michal Scieszka

University of Strathclyde Department of Architecture, 2011/2012

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna Studio E.A.R.T.H. Michal Scieszka / Dale Smith Tutors: David Page / David Reat

Contents ________________________________________ Abstract Manifesto

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The Story of Kiruna Historical Background of Kiruna Urban Transformation City Markers Climatic Conditions / Flora - Fauna Ralph Erskine Housing Workshop Research Staying in Bergsjรถn - Analysis of Social Housing International Workshop - Nordic Architecture

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Kiruna Masterplan Structure Relocation Church of Kiruna Housing for Seniors Kiruna City Hall

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Acknowledgements

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_____________ Cabinet of Curiosities

Abstract __________________________________________

This project focuses on Swedenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Northern Most city, Kiruna and the unique situation in which it currently finds itself. The City of Kiruna is changing. The very reason for its existence, iron ore, is also the reason for its demise. By 2050 almost the entire City Centre, and a large amount of housing, will be lost to the deformations from the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iron ore mine. A new City Centre must be developed to the East of the current one, safe from the effects of the mining. Within our thesis we aim to contextualise the New Kiruna, through the creation of a masterplan in which important architectural landmarks are moved from the old City to the new. This will create a visual reference which the people of Kiruna can readily identify, whilst memorialising the old City. Those landmark buildings within Kiruna which cannot be moved will be learned from, such as the Ortdrivaren Quarter housing by Ralph Erskine, whose architectural philosophy has been a continuous reference point throughout this thesis. The movement of the City is an opportunity, to further diversify the economy away from mining into the growing sectors of tourism, research and space industry. The movement of architectural landmarks is an opportunity, to preserve historically and culturally important buildings, whilst allowing the addition of layered complimentary functionality. Kiruna has an ageing population, and there is currently a shortage of certain types of housing in Kiruna, particularly Senior housing. The municipality is beginning to address this issue by commissioning housing of this nature and so this was an appropriate typology for the first new blocks to be built within the New City Centre and to test and prove the masterplan which we have drafted.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

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Manifesto

Architect - a public servant [ The social aspect of designing is the most important aspect of being an Architect. Having awareness of the buildings’ impact on both environment and human well-being, puts enormous responsibility on contemporary demiurges. After all, by definition an architect is a public servant, therefore giving back to the community is the predominant task. The pivotal aspect that should shape the future architectural practices, is to give the same dedication to social responsibility as hitherto fee-generating projects. By this, of course, the Author does not mean immediate transition from business to solely charitable work, but conscious design - beauty, clarity of idea and intelligent material selection - tailored to realistic needs and wants of end occupants. ]

Sustainability is the most overused buzzword [ Alongside ‘Green’ the term ‘Sustainability’ has become the most overused word in the English language. Inevitably we are approaching the moment where words associated with environmental responsibility are facing the threat of becoming meaningless clichés. The phrase has been used excessively and without restriction - thus causing the softening and extensive fragmentation of steps necessary to undertake this hypothetical imperative. The loose and somewhat unclear definition of sustainability allowed it to be pervasively used in marketing promotions which has diluted this meaningful goal into a meaningless buzzword. ]

Build to last, if it can’t - move it [ In relation to building design the impact a project has on the environment relates extensively on its operational effects. In order to achieve unity with the principles of endurable development, edifice life cycle and durability should be taken into account during the overall design process as well as at the stages of its erection and operation. Given the durability of products and building materials, building construction and assembly, the Architects must foresee the structure’s overall usefulness, permanence and necessary repairs or upgrading, allowing to extend the duration of its technical and functional fitness. ]

Think vernacular, harness innovation [ For centuries local requirements and conditions have been addressed with methods of construction tailored to locally available resources. The biggest advantage of vernacular techniques is that building data has been gathered through centuries with the method of trial and error, thus, providing a balanced and rational knowledge of cultural, historical and environmental contexts. Moreover, it gives the likelihood of constructing available to ordinary people, by means of low-cost contribution and local resident’s familiarity. On the contrary, it is very important not to idealise the traditional building techniques. There is a enormity of innovative technological solutions available that need to be harnessed and incorporated into the contemporary surroundings. However, their usability and applicability needs to be assessed on an individual basis in order to avoid unnecessary ‘green add-ons’. Thereby, the challenge is to find balanced solutions that would blend the evoking scientific innovations with background knowledge of native traditions, assisted with common sense. ]

See the bigger picture [ Place making and urban design are the principal foundations for the prolonged existence of the built environment in terms of usefulness and economic benefit as well as people’s affections. The creation of endurable solutions necessitates inclusion of approaches that will offer planning answers to the frequently encountered competing requirements of: environmental; social; as well as economical and resource factors. However, the bigger picture does not solely relate to masterplanning, but rather the skill of associating and linking macro to micro scale factors and adopting a holistic design ethos. This should be understood as an approach that covers all factors of design until a cohesive strategy is established. ]

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Rethink typologies [ It is time to completely rethink the way in which we currently design architecture, is there a way in which a re-imagined typology can positively influence peoples’ lives? The re-use / reinterpretation of many existing buildings will in the future become much more common, so how can we incorporate this kind of flexibility for future uses into our designs? Whilst it is not possible to future proof a design as you cannot predict what will happen in the future, by creating buildings which are flexible / adaptable / can be dismantled and moved / can be reconfigured maybe this would encourage much more truly sustainable development. ]

Increased Density / Layered Functions / Mixed Use + Mixed Tenure [ The most sustainable and rational way to develop is to create mixed use zoning within cities and where possible eliminate single-use or Euclidean zoning. By doing so it increases the density of land use, increases diversity of land use and integrates segregated uses. This reduces travelling distances and thus people’s dependency on cars, it activates urban areas which would otherwise be derelict during more hours of the day and it creates social cohesion by facilitating the development of communities. It would also be preferable within mixed use developments to create mixed tenure housing, this is the most socially and economically sustainable model for development. The mix of housing types within this type of development helps create a diverse community whilst being a sound economical model containing a mix of privately owned, rented and shared ownership housing. By adding layers of complimentary functions to existing or future developments, it can enhance the lives of those resident in the area of development as well as making them more economically, socially and politically sustainable.]

Romantic Functionalism [ A level of rationalisation and standardisation must be incorporated in all projects to make them economically viable, this is particulary true in a sub-arctic environment where building costs and energy demands are increased. However this Standardisation / Rationalisation should in no way compromise the primary functions of the building / development it is being applied to and should offer a maximum of human choice - rational or irrational. This idea is exemplified in the Romatic Functionalism of Ralph Erskine, where architecture is grounded in reality and fulfils the actual needs of its users firstly. More people should be aware of his writings and learn from his architectural philosophy.]

‘ I therefore make a plea for an alternative philosophy, for brukskonst – the Art of that which is Useful – a plea, that is, for poetry and beauty created out of the realities and true needs of a disturbing world, for an architecture which expresses our dreams of a more just society and the inspired promises in our declaration of human rights.’ - Ralph Erskine

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

The Story of Kiruna

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Kiruna is located in Northern Europe in the region of Scandinavia, Sweden...

KIRUNA

OSLO STOCKHOLM GOTHENBURG

...and is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, approximately 300 km above the Arctic Circle.

The Story of Kiruna

Archeological findings have shown that the region around Kiruna has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years by the local Sami population. The countryside surrounding Kiruna was and still is spectacular with virgin wilderness, vast valleys and mountains.

The presence of iron ore had been known by the Sami people for centuries, however because of the remote location and harsh climate the extraction of iron ore started in the end of 19th Century.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

With the industry growing, the town was subject to extensive unplanned development, houses were built in a disorganized manner...

In order to prevent the spread of illegal slums the Iron Ore Company LKAB appointed Hjalmar Lundbohm to become the local manager of Kiruna. Hjalmar enrolled in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history for the decision to demolish all illegal residences and commissioning a new City Plan and a railway line connecting this City with the rest of Sweden, in order to allow for more extensive ore mining.

The Story of Kiruna

A large part of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth has been invested in the erection of many remarkable buildings. Possibly the three most prominent ones are: The Church of Kiruna, built in 1912 and voted the most beautiful public building in Sweden; Kiruna City Hall (1962), designed by Artur von Schmalensee and Ortdrivaren Housing (1962) by Ralph Erskine.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Unfortunately due to the extensive underground works land deformations and cracks begin to appear...

The Story of Kiruna

...And as time progresses the City will collapse into the mine, meaning that buildings of local, national and cultural significance will be lost unless repositioned or rebuilt.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Historical Background of Kiruna _____________________________

Kiruna and its historical development into a city, is intrinsically linked with the iron ore which is mined there. Iron ore extraction is the key industry of the area, and the town has been and still is very dependent on the mining company LKAB, although recently there have been moves to diversify the economy of the area in order to plan for the future of the city. Near Kiruna are the mountains Kiirunavaara and Luossavaara. Kiirunavaara, named after the Rock Ptarmigan (Snow Grouse) and being the mountain for which the city is named, is now an iron ore mine that is the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary economic resource. Luossavaara is a former mine and now used as a skiing slope during the winter season. The damaging effects of this mining are very clearly visible on both of these mountains. The key to the industrialisation of the mine and expansion of the town was the construction of a railway linking the town of Kiruna to both Narvik in Norway and Lulea in Sweden. The rapid industrialisation of the area had led to a great amount of unplanned development with much of the housing originally consisting of illegal slums. Therefore a city plan was required in order to provide for the growing needs of the population.

The architects Per Olof Hallman and Gustaf Wickman were appointed, by Hjalmar Lundbohm, to design the city which was to be built at Haukivaara, near both iron ore mines, with then revolutionary consideration of geographic and climatic circumstances; being built on a hill, winter temperatures are much milder than in other towns. On 27 April 1900, Hallmansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plan was officially accepted and the planned construction of the city began. This plan, gave Kiruna the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first climate-adapted community plan. The streets follow the contours of the terrain in an irregular pattern, so that the cold winds are slowed, and several housing areas, such as Bolaget and the SJ housing area, still bear witness to the foresight shown at the time. When the people of Kiruna now, over a century later, have to move parts of their town, the intention is to utilise the creative thought of the old community plan, and in combination with modern knowledge, to build a new model community. _____________ 1. Historic Urban Development 2. Aerial View of Mt. Kiirunavaara 3. Kiruna Crest 4. Hjalmar Lundbohm 5. Historic Ore Mine Development

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Historical Background

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Urban Transformation

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Since the 1950s, the deformations from the mine have been moving towards the town. It takes a long time for the ground to crack, and the first movements cannot be seen by the naked eye but can only be measured with sensitive instruments. The way in which LKAB mines iron ore has an impact on the ground. For each bucket of ore that is hauled out from the mine, waste rock from above falls in and the ground subsides a little. Since the orebody dips at an incline, mining proceeds both at depth and towards the east, closer to the town. No mining takes place beneath the town, and there are no large galleries or cavities that might collapse, since the waste rock always fills the void that is left after the ore is extracted. Directly above the mining zone, within an enclosed area, the deformations are most evident. There, the ground has subsided extensively and in several stages, so that large faults have formed. Several hundred meters closer to the town, the first cracks are appearing. They are within an enclosed restricted area. When they first become visible, they are so small that they look as if someone has dragged a stick across the ground. Closer to the mine they become bigger and bigger. Further away from the mine, the deformations are not visible at all. However, they can be measured with the help of concrete pillars that are placed as reference points several years before the ground starts to move. On the pillars, GPS instruments used by the geotechnicians to detect ground movements are placed. This far from the mine, the ground moves in a lateral direction, towards the mine, many years before it starts to sink. The ground is elastic and can stretch somewhat before faults start to form or roads and buildings are damaged. This also has natural causes, such as frost and changes in the water table. The Environmental Court has set limits for how much

the ground can move before the zone has to be included within the mining area. Long before the first cracks appear on the surface, everyone who lives here will have moved and the ground area will be redeveloped as a Mine City Park. The present main level, from which the ore is gathered, is at a depth of 1,045 meters (measured from the zero point at the original peak of Mt. Kiirunavaara). LKAB is now building a new main level at 1,365 meters. Mining takes place at different depths in the mine; in the north end, called the Lake Ore, between 600 and 700 meters, and in the rest of the mine at between 850 and 940 meters below the zero or leveling point. Nowhere is ore mined under areas in which Kiruna residents live or are active. As mining reaches deeper levels, the orebody diminishes in volume towards the south. At the same time, it increases to the north, which means that it extends even farther in towards the town. LKAB has applied for, and been granted, permits for test drilling in the northern section of the orebody in order to ascertain its extent. This will determine how much of the town will be affected if mining continues further down. The municipality of Kiruna has a clear political will to firmly hold on to and improve Hjalmar Lundbohm´s vision of Kiruna as a model city. The founder of Kiruna wanted to build a modern community adapted to the environment, the people and the special climate of Kiruna. The Vision of the municipality is formulated as follows: ‘We see the vision of the future city of Kiruna as a unique city settlement in continuous development in agreement with today’s and future demands of a high-tech model city, an ecological community in an arctic environment.’

Church of Kiruna

0 Kiruna Town Hall 142 Railway to Narvik

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Mine Collapse Area To move due to repositioned E10 Iron Ore Mine Disused Railway Line Major Vehicular Route E10 Motorway Virgin Nature Space Industry Airport Ski Centre Golf Club Proposed City Centre Relocation

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6498

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Average no. of people per household

35 m2

Average m2 per person

_____________ 1. Mine Collapse Sectional Timeline 2. Kiruna as Existing 3. Deformation Displacement Densities

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City Markers

_____________________________ Church of Kiruna Kiruna Church is a prominent building in Kiruna, erected between 1909 and 1912 and designed by the architect, Gustaf Wickman. The church, whose unique look is inspired by the Norwegian stave churches, stands in a park near the centre of Kiruna. The church was consecrated by Bishop Olof Bergqvist on 8 December 1912. Since 1913, the church is included in the Jukkasjärvi parish in the diocese of Luleå. In 2001, the church was voted the most beautiful public building in Sweden by the Swedish people.

The triple-aisled nave is covered by open, imaginatively designed trusses in both the main vessel and side ship. The choir has a rich surround of panelling and carved lattice work, inspired by Sami ornamentation. The altarpiece from 1912 is very large and is the work of Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke. The gallery, pulpit and open bench interior was designed by Wickman himself.

Kiruna Church bell tower was completed between 1906 and 1907 and was inaugurated with the ringing bells on Good Friday . Gustaf Wickman had designed several different proposals before settling for the over 35 meter high building. The bell tower, like the church, is constructed in wood but is divided into three parts: the building, clock room and a dome-shaped spire. Kiruna Church has a dominant position on a hill in a park, surrounded by trees consisting mainly of birch , but also of the mountain ash . This is known as Church Park and is surrounded by a low wall of granite. Inside the wall, east of the church, is located a crematorium and associated memorial. The church is one of the largest wooden buildings and unique works from the beginning of the 1900’s and is painted barn red and of a timber construction, clad, in pine heartwood staves. The style in which the church was built in Gothic Revival and the interior has characteristics of national romanticism, whilst the altar compositions are in the Art Nouveau style . The church has a square shaped plan, compared with a so-called central church .The roof structure can be described as two prisms , each end finished with large stained glass window works, which intersect, and the church has gables which point in all directions. A ridge turrets stands at the intersection where the four pitched roofs above the nave meet. The church rests on a masonry plinth of natural stone (red Granite). The tower is in the form of a sceptre.

City Markers

_____________ 1. Tower Bell: Plan / Section / Elevations 2. Transcept Section Facing Chancel 3. Front Elevation

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

City Markers

_____________________________ Kiruna City Hall Kiruna’s City Hall, was designed by Arthur von Schmalensee (1900-72), constructed between 1959 - 1962, and officially inaugurated in 1963. In 1964, the building was awarded the Kasper Salin Prize for “most beautiful public building.” The edifice replaced the old administrative buildings, which had previously sat on the same site. Since 2001, the town hall with its characteristic shape and bell tower, have been protected as a listed historic building. The Town Hall is an outstanding example of a 1960’s public building. It has a unique geographical location, atypical expression with simple shapes and scale and a balanced asymmetry both inside and outside. The construction is of a solid craftsmanship and of traditional natural materials together with untreated concrete. Kiruna City Hall was built at a time that was characterized by optimism and self-reliance. It became a lavish building in a thriving city, in a prosperous country and can therefore be seen as an exponent of Sweden’s economic boom. City Hall has, since its construction served as a key building for the people of Kiruna.

Given the significance of the building, in both scale and proportion, and as a symbol for the people of Kiruna, its future in regards to the movement of the town must be carefully considered. A move of the entire City Hall to another location, whole or in part is a technically delicate surgery. How much can you reproduce, modify, or change the building, without having a negative impact on the building’s architecturally cohesive quality, its “soul” or cultural values? A building of these dimensions has very great demands on geography and town planning in terms of orientation and location and in extension, the location, volume and design of any new surrounding buildings.

The architect’s intention was to encourage within the physical structure, a democratic interaction between staff and the public. The Town Hall is often referred to as ‘Kiruna’s living room’ and the large indoor market square has hosted many important gatherings, including large meetings during the miners’ strike in 1969. The building’s origins and its importance as a venue within the town, gives it very high social and socio-historical values. City Hall, built for Kiruna’s 1960’s population size, is of gigantic proportions, and has great symbolic value as a bearer of the town’s identity. It was funded to a large extent by the large tax revenues from LKAB’s activities that went to the municipality for a few years. City Hall’s location - overlooking the open pit, between LKAB’s nearly simultaneously constructed office towers and the main town centre of Kiruna – contributes to the very large socio-historical value of the building, which must be considered the strongest cultural dimension in this context, something that surpasses even the building’s very high architectural values.

_____________ 1. Clock Tower Sketch 2. Floor Plans as Existing 4. Section AA 3. South Elevation as Existing 5. West Elevation as Existing

City Markers

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5 Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Climatic Conditions / Flora - Fauna _____________________________

Being located 145 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Kiruna has a Sub-Arctic climate with short, cool summers and long, cold winters, although the city itself can be considerably milder than the surrounding forest. Snowcover generally lasts from mid-October to mid-May, but snowfall can occur year-round. The sun doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set between May 30 and July 15, and perpetual daylight lasts from early May to early August. The period that the sun doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rise lasts from early December to early January, the exact boundaries depending on local topography. In this time of the year, a few hours of twilight are the only daylight available.

_____________ 1. Northern lights (the cold dark sterility of winter) 2. Midnight sun (the brilliant light and teeming life of summer) 3. Linnaea borealis 4. Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum 5. Snow Grouse 6. Vaccinium vitis-idaea 7. European White Birch 8. Scots Pine 9. Reindeer

Climatic Conditions / Flora - Fauna

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

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Perpetual Daylight

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Polar Night

Ralph Erskine

_____________________________ Ortdrivaren Housing, Kiruna, Sweden Quarter Ortdrivaren is an architecturally renowned neighbourhood in central Kiruna with modern buildings designed by architect Ralph Erskine . The block, which was completed in 1966, is located at the intersection of Lars Jansson SE, Hjalmar Lundbom Road and Victory Street Svanberg. Erskine Redesigned the whole town centre for the existing population of about 20000, but ended up only building a small section of his scheme (the ringed sector on the site plan) while the town was rebuilt on the existing road pattern in a conventional manner. The block consists of several distinctive buildings. There are two tower blocks called snuffbox, and spittoon and two dwelling longhouses called snuff and the Berlin Wall. Even the old Mission Church is part of the complex and known locally Lord’s money. The name of the snuffbox is said come to tower blocks, which have convex curved walls, the same shape as contemporary snuff boxes. The highest buildings – ten and thirteen storeys – are at the north end of the site and have a steep roof pitch sloping to the north to reduce shadow.

These roofs are designed to prevent snow and ice sliding down to ground level. The whole scheme is built over a basement garage with a warmed circulation street connecting the buildings. The roof of the garage is designed as a large play sculpture for winter and summer use. Above the base rise the rounded and insulated buildings presenting a minimum of surface with moderate sized triple-glazed windows. The cross wall construction is faced with Siporex units and foamed polystyrene insulation internally. Externally the buildings are coloured red, brown, terracotta, ochre and yellow. Small exterior balconies are designed as hanging racks for natural deep freezing of fish and game. Windows of living rooms can be opened to form an internal heated and wind protected balcony.

_____________ 1. Erskins Kiruna Masterplan 2. Ortdrivaren Housing Section 3. Housing Block - Typical Plan

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Ralph Erskine

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Ralph Erskine

_____________________________ Building in the Arctic This historical essay by Ralph Erskine was first published in the May 1960 issue of Architectural Design. Erskine’s architectural philosophy, based on the two fundamental precepts: that the buildings must be related to the climate and to the people who will inhabit and use them, is ideally suited to be applied to building in the town of Kiruna. Furthermore, his architectural agenda is aligned with our own thinking, which can be shown through the following quotes regarding his own work which we feel could equally be applied to our own: ‘The development of an architecture which finds poetry in the economic use of resources’ ‘There should be well heated and well lit communications, piazzas and gardens, covered for bad weather but open to good weather. They should be planned to offer easy human contacts, but also personal freedom and privacy. Even more than others they should be based on technical rationalisation and standardisation, as building costs are enormous, but the standardisation should offer a maximum of human choice – rational or irrational.’ Building In The Arctic Erskine’s analysis of the problems of the sub-arctic environment and his theoretical solutions to them, produced as a study in 1958, were to become fundamental to his architectural style. In 1959 he was invited to present these ideas at the Ciam Meeting at Otterlo in the Netherlands. His studies into designing a town and indeed individual buildings with the arctic climate, his writings on this subject as well as his built examples are a fantastic resource which can be drawn from when designing within the sub-arctic environment and particularly the town of Kiruna, where he not only produced two built projects but also an unbuilt masterplan for the town.

The Arctic zone is often wrongly thought to share the savage glacial climate of the Antarctic. In fact it has a climate that is one of the least stormy in the world and a precipitation of rain (and snow) that is less than that in many desert areas. During the summer, because of the constant presence of the sun, and during the winter, because it shines but briefly, there is little daily variation in the overall seasonal temperature giving rise to still air and settled weather. The Antarctic continent, surrounded by turbulent oceans is a land of storms, of snow and of ice. The Arctic, a sea surrounded by land, can be divided into two zones: the Arctic proper zone consisting of polar sea and the partly glaciated lands, like Greenland, where snow and ice never disappear; and the sub-Arctic zone, a great circumpolar region stretching from the polar sea to well south of the tree line where it merges into the cold temperature zone. To the North the sub-Arctic consists mainly of the flat bleak treeless tundra formed by the prehistoric glaciers and now held frozen for nine months of the year by ground frost. In the south it runs into the conifer forest of the cold temperature zone. In May the ground begins to thaw and plants begin their short summer of flowering and growth. The tundra becomes a landscape of lakes and ponds, each one formed by the snow water of many years which is unable to drain away because of the frozen ground below. In the forest regions limited cultivation is possible. By September the days are shortening rapidly and the frost has taken control again. The snow does not always follow immediately and there may be a long dark autumn before the snow transforms the landscape into a new and lighter form. The region has an ever-changing beauty and visual variety derived from its violently contrasting seasons. The sub-Arctic is growing rapidly in importance. Below the tundra lie deposits of iron, nickel, copper, lead, gold, radium, asbestos and oil, whilst above it fly the new polar airways. Added to this, it has become one of the most important strategic areas. These new activities are introducing more and more permanent settlers to the zone; They are moving from populous areas to small towns in an isolated land and must be given those amenities they previously enjoyed. Towns cannot borrow from neighbouring cities but must be self-sufficient in every sphere. As usual when settlers move to a new country they attempt to recreate their old homes. In the sub-Arctic this can never be successful, and modern man, like the Eskimo before him, must use his resources to arrive by analysis and synthesis at an indigenous culture. The essentials of this human and physical situation make necessary the realisation of the violence and the drama of its contrasts, and a restatement of the protective function of buildings and towns.

Ralph Erskine

1. The warmth, the brilliant light and the teeming life of summer – the cold dark sterility of winter – each creates a protection need. 2. The consequential changes on human spirits and the rhythmic change of social life from the extrovert of summer to the introvert of winter: the changing experience of society, towns and buildings. 3. The geographical isolation in an extensive and often wild nature and the resultant impact of a human milieu. Wild nature is ubiquous and the human is the exception (the opposite of the man-made world of the temperate zone): the man-made needs protection and intensification. 4. The contrasts between the experience ‘indoors’ and the experience ‘outdoors’ during the larger part of the year: more than anywhere else the enclosing envelope becomes a separator, with the existence of space continuity as a relatively indirect experience. The Traditional ‘Frontier Town’

exception, the latter of which should be formal planting with exotic vegetation – such as apple trees – with a view over the surrounding landscape, as there will be many indoor or underground workers. There should be well heated and well lit communications, piazzas and gardens, covered for bad weather but open to good weather. They should be planned to offer easy human contacts, but also personal freedom and privacy. __________________________

Even more than others they should be based on technical rationalisation and standardisation, as building costs are enormous, but the standardisation should offer a maximum of human choice – rational or irrational.

- Isolation and extreme conditions create tension. - Personal relationships are especially important and often difficult. - The frontiersman and hunter type, who is attracted to these communities, is not a good town dweller. - Communities tend to be of frontier type with a population in flux, and are neither functionally nor humanly satisfying.

It is possible to widen the grammar of sub-Arctic life but not create a new existence form – the threads of contact with the south are sustained, and the sub-Arctic dweller should not become even more isolated by an over-emphasis of the exceptional of his existence. The changes in the structure of his town and society should help his life to become truer to his situation and help him to live with, instead of against it. It should become easier for him to find satisfaction.

- This situation tends to lead to imitations of ‘home country’ conditions. - Such imitations are always inferior to the original, as well as being emotionally and culturally unsatisfying. The New Towns Northern towns must become free of the ‘colonial’ attitude and base their own culture on their own way of life. They should, due to their isolation be made more attractive and genuine than their equivalent in more southerly latitudes. They should be intensive communities with rich amenities and possibility for varied activities, since neighbour towns are distant. They should cluster to form a human milieu in the desert: the green town belongs to regions where vegetation is profuse and friendly, where the stone town becomes a desert and nature is distant. Here nature is the dominant and the ‘human’ the

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Ralph Erskine

_____________________________ Democratic Architecture The universal and Useful Art: Projects and Reflections The Thomas Cubitt Lecture by Ralph Erskine, The Royal Society of Arts, 31st March 1982 Architecture – Extravagant Gestures or Useful Art?

__________________________

Architecture arises as human beings change the landscape, erect buildings and towns, and create furniture and other tools for satisfying their many needs. It is everywhere with us, is a vital influence on our lives and a major expression of our culture, the most extensive and universal of the arts, experienced and used by all people. It is the art of building communities, and this is true whether or not architects are involved in their creation.

We must with others enjoy a complex process of evaluation and develop a valid system of priorities. We must achieve a delicate balance between perfection and compromise, between very different and often conflicting demands of practical function, of technique, of spiritual and social needs, of finance and economy (so often in conflict) and of administrative or political organisation.

Likewise we must never forget that architecture differs from all other arts in that it is Brukskonst – ‘the art of that which is useful’. It is the usefulness, the functional aspect – that rich and all embracing weave of practical and spiritual satisfactions, which is the very special characteristic of this exceptional art which both protects our bodies and expresses our dreams. There are therefore exceptional responsibilities for all who partake in building our environment, and they should consider with the utmost seriousness what their most important objectives should be. Since humanity In the eighteenth century discarded the medieval realm of mysticism and developed a science and system for studying the physical world the results have been sensational. Humanity has more recently commenced the careful and systematic study of us, the human beings. This continuous and careful search into the realms of anthropology, sociology and psychology and the painstaking checking of results will with time lead to equally sensational realisations, the results of which will be of vital importance for architecture and community planning. In the meanwhile we architects must seek such knowledge wherever it is found, use it and, foremost, use our training, intuition, sensibilities and sympathy for people to imbue our fulfilment of very real and often prosaic needs with a poetry which illuminates the important realities with which we work, which tells of the dreams of justice and equality of which we often speak. Also as citizens we must work for the better political, economic and administrative instruments which can ease our task in making reality of these dreams. In this we must clearly realise that our hope is for relevant change, and our allegiance therefore with radical rather than conservative philosophies, with the very real needs of the needy and underprivileged rather than with the profitable commissions and luxurious needs of those who are powerful and rich. Architecture has many facets, and we must, with sympathy, achieve an understanding of a multitude of different concepts and needs. 27

Ralph Erskine

Architecture is the Art of Communities To plan a good community is a demanding task. It is difficult enough with understanding and intelligence, maturity and enthusiasm; without these it becomes almost impossible. To build a house, a school or factory is insufficient. Each building is as a brick in that complex edifice ‘a town’. Analysis of a community leads to the realisation that it consists of dwellings and shops, of places for work, for education, meetings and recreation, of systems for communication and for a multitude of other human deeds. Such analysis has often been made, but naively or in the interest of ‘rationalisation’, the analysis has actually been built without transforming it into a meaningful whole. Each function has commonly received its specific solution but the very rationalisation of the particular task has often isolated it and given it a limited value, disregarding its most vital role – that of contributing to the building of a good community. Dwelling areas have become places where one merely lives. The transport apparatus can move us and our goods quickly and sometimes in comfort, but has so many negative effects on the surrounding environment that it must be isolated as far as possible from the rest of the community. Commerce has progressively rationalised the handling of

goods but has lost its vital role of giving rise to stimulating human contacts and ceremonies. It has become isolated in large anonymous shopping centres, where the loss of social communications within the buildings has been aggravated by the sterile deserts of our transport requirements. Consequently barriers have been created between the life of our homes and families and the joy of the market place. Schools and universities have become bigger and bigger ghettos for a single age group, and industrial rationalisation has largely concentrated itself on the production process with a consequential loss in the experience of meaningful work and that direct contact between wife, man, children and neighbours which existed when human beings were active in older communities. It has been suggested that in many industries the transporting of items of production to people in their local environment could be as rational as or more rational than the transporting of large numbers of people to factories. If the stimulating human contacts of pre-industrial communities were one of the important aims of the modern rationalised production techniques, then the above arrangement would be of great interest; buildings and plans would change; a new, stimulating and surprising aesthetic would arise. What consequence would such human orientated objectives have for housing, for the construction of communication lines, for schools and universities, for trade and recreation and for the size of our townships? And for the character and our evaluation of architecture? It would seem to me that in the intimate interplay and confrontation of different insights, interests, generations, subcultures, activities and situations of varying sizes there are essential values which are commonly lost in our modern communities. In this, rather than in contrived and romanticised manipulation of form, would arise the complexity we seek and new forms would appear. __________________________

Instead of housing or work areas, it would be important to create ‘places for living’ which offer varied lifestyles, parts of towns where dwelling, working, study and recreation take place in as close contact with one another as possible. This is equally important whether we are involved in an individual building or a community plan.

New communities and parts of communities must be built for the rapidly increasing work population. It is important therefore together with intelligent, knowledgeable and interested people, to plan complete and proper ‘places for living’; useful, compassionate and poetic places. I suggest that they may be similar in concept, though not in form, to the older villages and towns we know. It is my experience that much can be learned from research, discussion and literature, but equally as much from experiencing, observing and analysing the interplay between built form and present-day life in such older townships and villages. Likewise, whilst it is this interplay which is most relevant, the understanding of them can be confused by observation of only the beauty of their style and detail. For these are often the expression of economics, techniques and beliefs of another culture and age, and imitation will lead to the falsifications of nostalgic pastiche. Furthermore, I must admit that whilst I have been fortunate enough to design small communities or parts of communities, despite all my endeavours it has not yet been to achieve fully the weave of functions of which I speak. These projects are largely ‘dead’ during weekdays and become weekend places at weekends and the essential richness of life has not arisen. The charm they may have could be the ‘aesthetic trap’, an artistic manipulation which gibes intimacy and personal situation but an environment which, though improvised, is still thin in content, not community places but the mono functional housing areas I decry and a palliative rather than a solution for our living environment. The impact of Climate: Architecture the protector, modifier and mediator in the cold regions of the sub-Arctic North When considering the problems of building in the north, to talk of an architecture of climate would be to tell only half of the story. It is people in the climate, the cities and the landscape, people alone or in families and crowds that count. Ordinary people, not architects, people who are sometimes born in the north and know it and love it (or hate it), other people who are moving from more populace areas to small isolated communities in the wilderness, and who must be given the amenities they previously enjoyed. I try to base my work on that rhythm of seasons and life in the north, which I find so enthralling, and form communities which encompass all its richness of contrasting experiences. I shape my buildings with a completely protected winter part surrounded by separate sheltering outdoor places for spring and for autumn. Beyond these places is free summer life in natural landscape with which the north is so richly endowed. It can be difficult enough to express these thoughts in words – how much more difficult to say them in concrete and wood, asphalt and grass, to say them with precision and warmth but without unnecessary pathos and exaggeration. Wherever in the world it is that people build, whether in the cold places, the hot places, the friendly and unfriendly places, and for whomever they build – black or white, old or young Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

– it is surely people and buildings and streets, gardens and animals or birds, not economy, technique and aesthetics that people dream about when they seek a home, a community and a place in which to work and play; these are only as the bricks with which to build a rich and complicated dwelling, a place to find warmth and protection, to find both togetherness and privacy and a feeling that ‘this is where I belong, this is my home and here I shall like to be’. __________________________

I hope that we architects can help to give such a dwelling a form, make a place with a potential for contentment. In the same count it is the inhabitants who will give the same dwelling its meaning and will change our architectural ‘space’ to ‘place’. My question is, ‘Do the cities and the buildings of the north serve the needs of their inhabitants well?’ My answer must be, ‘No, Man in his ingenuity has invented many ways of protecting his puny body – of maintaining its surface within the narrow range of temperatures and humidity which allows for survival. As his inventiveness and artistry have increased he has moreover create conditions of convenience comfort and pleasure. With time he has created cities and buildings which are works of art and a witness to the genius of human culture.’ Where could this protection be a greater need than in the North? But cities – our most concrete artefacts, which represent nothing other than their own existence – are nonetheless less liable to the laws of symbolic and fashion, and a house not only has to be a home, to shelter, protect and function but it must also symbolise a house; a city must represent a city, and traditions of form impair their fulfilment of function. When I came to Scandinavia at the end of the 1930’s I found that this symbolic architecture in some ways seemed to be regarded as of greater importance and urgency than the primary purpose – to clothe, to comfort and to protect. What I have seen in Canada and Alaska convinces me that the situation there is no different. The southern cultures are dominant and neither in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia nor Siberia can I find communities intelligently and inventively built to give pleasing and effective comfort and protection in the specific conditions of the north. I have found arctic outpost or alpinist huts technically giving survival conditions in situations of extreme stress, or cities with overheated buildings and draughty streets, but nowhere can I find a sector of our modern culture which has a special local flavour of the north due to combination of understanding, inventiveness and, not least, artistry, in satisfying special human needs in this special part of the world. 29

Ralph Erskine

It is also disturbing to realise that the new towns and suburbs of more temperate and amenable climates show no greater signs of success. What then are the characteristics of this sub-Arctic realm? Above all it is a world where only with the advent of our technical civilisation that man became freer from a long and constant warring with the difficulties of an inhospitable climate, and with wrestling meagre returns from its meagre soil. It is a world without a rich history of city culture and techniques precisely adapted to its special demands. Here houses and towns should open to the sun of spring and summer like a flower but, also like flowers, turn their backs on the shadows and the cold northern winds, offering sun warmth and wind protection to their terraces, gardens and streets. They should be most unlike the colonnaded buildings, the arcaded towns and the mat shadowed streets of the Europeans and Arabs, but most similar in the basic function – of helping people to maintain their bodies at a comfortable 35 C. when studying the beautiful towns of the south, whether old or new, it is not the forms on themselves which should interest us, but the inventiveness and artistry with which people solved the needs which were peculiar to their situation and time, the comfort and beauty which they created. Only by such methods can a personal and indigenous tradition arise. The essentials of this human and physical situation make necessary the realisation of the violence and the drama in the contrasts of the region and a re-statement of the protection function of buildings and towns. The contrasts are following: The warmth, the brilliant light and the teeming life of summer – the cold dark sterility of winter – each creates a protection need. The consequential changes on human spirits and the rhythmic change of social life from the extrovert of summer to the introvert of winter: the changing experience of society, towns and buildings. The geographical isolation in an extensive and often wild nature and the resultant impact of a human milieu. Wild nature is ubiquous and the human is the exception (the opposite of the man-made world of the temperate zone): the man-made needs protection and intensification. The protective functions are: The intensively protective character of the barrier between ‘in’ and ‘out’ and of the heating systems is the sine qua non of the arctic and sub-arctic – without these there is no life. The lighter, open sun-catchers and mosquito and wind protective units for the summer period are for comfort and are of a completely different and contrasting character to the above. Thus the idea develops of the winter cell surrounded by, but separated from, the summer units. This one envelops and protects life, and the other shields but makes it more pleasant. The one is a momentous reality, the other a gracious accoutrement. There are the basic elements of modern and indigenous architecture for the high latitudes.

For microclimatic reasons a township should be built on a slope where the radiation from the low arctic sun is more intensive than on the flat country, and where some protection from the cold northerly winds can be found. Further advantage can be gained by turning to the southeast to catch the early morning radiation which tempers the cold night air. But in more extreme climates the low parts of valleys should be avoided, for the still of intensively cold weather the denser cold air flows from the hills and collects in the hollows and valleys. The structure of the town itself can be of vital importance in improving the climate within its boundaries. Continuous strips of higher buildings can encompass and help to protect a township, but must, in lower scale, be repeated within its structure. Each will improve the microclimate of zones for gardens and smaller buildings; they will reflect warmth and sunlight on their southern side and protect against the cold north winds. Thus can arise a typical and rhythmic structure in the township. The buildings must be given aerodynamic forms so that excessive snowdrifts in their lee may be reduced, and architecture will be created. My intensive impressions during visits to Arab countries and southern states in the USA have combined with the results of my attempts to analyse the consequences on people’s lives in cold climates and to find what suitable architecture therefore should arise, and I have become conscious of major parallels between the hot regions and the cold. Since cold and heat are experienced so differently and few people have lived both in arctic and tropical regions it has not been observed that for their effect-potential on architecture and planning the similarities between the cold arctic and the hot-dry desert and savannah region are extraordinary. With the hoy humid climates the similarities are also important, but are not always equally obvious. The arctic is a cold white desert with drifting snow, in the tropics there are hot yellow deserts with drifting sand. A warm place in the sub-arctic is an oasis with trees, a wet place in the desert gives the same result. Except where there are special resources communities in both are usually small and isolated and the traditional cultures have been nomadic. Survival techniques and the whole culture have in both been highly specialised and directly related to the impact of the extreme climate. Today architecture and planning that are properly considered would show certain striking differences but there would be very much more that is strikingly common to both regions. ‘Les extremes se touchent’ and the experience of the one gives special insights in the other. In Sweden (and recently in the Canadian arctic) I have always designed buildings to take into account the problems of energy – and heating economy. Indeed much of the ‘climate architecture’ which was the subject of my earlier speculation has in Sweden become a ‘must’ under the impact of rising fuel costs. As a consequence I realise that for the construction of buildings which are either heated or cooled it is the temperature difference between exterior and interior which is important. In both hot and cold regions the buildings will consist of well

insulated simple volumes which have restricted window sizes and are surrounded by light structures where the pleasures of the more temperate seasons may be enjoyed. Four Unacknowledged and Powerful Generators of Change With some justification it could be said that it is not architectural philosophy which is to-day the important instrument of the change which affects my architecture but the insights of scientists, economists, philosophers, authors and many other opinion-formers interacting with national and international institutions of political and economic power. The special dynamic for architectural change has come when such insights have been formalised in buildings – or other laws. Democratic Participation in Decision-making Processes The ‘user-client’ brings new insights and evaluations which can fundamentally differ from those of the traditional ‘sponsorclient’, and architecture and the architect must change. New qualities must be discerned, given form and defended. Minority Rights (at the moment especially of the handicapped) The aesthetic stimulation which arises with the manipulation of varied floor levels and stairways becomes impossible, and there arises a different aesthetic of extensive horizontal floors with ramps and lifts at any unavoidable changes of level. __________________________

Serious consideration of the needs of children, the aged, immigrants and other subcultures and minorities would introduce further new form-elements in architecture and planning. Economy in the use of energy It is realised that energy is a valuable, a scarce and often polluting resource. __________________________

Building volumes must therefore become simple and heavily insulated in both hot and cold climates, thermal bridges must be minimised and windows severely restricted in size. Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

The architecture of glass buildings, however beautiful, is recognised as symbolic of a naïve, wasteful and irresponsible culture, and laws (in Sweden) on energy conservation have made such architecture impossible. A new, wise, responsible and beautiful architecture must be invented. Economy in the use of resources The first three factors have to a considerable degree been ignored by architects in the past. The fourth, always operative for most utility buildings, can also be considered as a fundamental condition of human rights in a world where the limited resources are so inequitably distributed between classes, races or nations. With the spread of media communication the tragic effects of such inequalities may, as well as being an intolerable injustice become a threat not only to the underprivileged, but also to those of us who waste resources in the wealthy and privileges parts of the world, for those privileges can be violently challenged by the deprived majority of humanity. __________________________

modern’, ‘organic’ or ‘nostalgic’ trends on the one hand, and on the other hand a truly modern architecture for the troublesome realities of the troubling world in which we live. There are many historical masterpieces erected for the glorification of the proud and opulent institutions of religious or temporal power, and the most gifted architecture of modern times, works of the greater and lesser masters of the modern movement, has largely glorified the powerful and wealthy institutions of this corporate age. When will we recognise the inspired expression of our reams of true liberty, equality and fraternity? Let it be understood that I was born to the life of an architects in the intoxicating days of the revolution, of the battle for a new and better world of architecture. It was an inspiring battle against the out-dated and suffocating dogmas of academic architecture. Irrelevant for the needs of a changing world were the battles of the styles – for New-Renaissance or Neogothic, for the organic forms of Art Noveau or the nostalgic romanticism of Arts and Crafts – of Lutyens, of Baillie Scott and Beresford Pyte, however artistic they might have been.

Beauty and art are essential experiences for all people, be they ‘sophisticated’ or ‘primitive’, who are not merely struggling to survive, and a fundamental characteristic of all art is that, whether we realise it or not, it communicates concepts and beliefs, it comments on our present and future life. Architecture is in no way an exception to this rule. It is therefore pleasurable to observe that there are architects and others with a genuine interest in all the human and social qualities of architecture and in the special poetry which can arise out of these. Architecture becomes involved in basic human needs partly out of intrinsic interest, and partly prodded by the increasingly sophisticated requirements of statutory and funding institutions. These can be observed in furnishable rooms, useful kitchens and improved work-environments in factories and office; in better places for the creative indoor and outdoor activities of adults and small children; in sociable public furniture in the shade or sun; in the rights of the underprivileged and minorities and in economy ion the use of energy and other resources.

Clearly these were experiences which left their mark, and therefore it is perhaps with limited enthusiasm that I consider the changing styles and fashions of the Post-Modern movements. ‘Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose’ says a French novelist and wit. A bon mot indeed but not necessarily an axiom. Our belief was in relevant and continuing change and we sought an underlying philosophy which would unite modern life and architecture and guide our attempts at acts of creation. We fought for the new world of Modern Architecture and for Functionalism as we understood it. It was at that time an architecture of analysis, but also with strong emotional ties to the new techniques and materials of the industrial age, and to Cubism in the Arts. We fought for freedom, and our faith was strong, but in retrospect it would seem that our understanding was naïve, our analysis limited, and that our freedom from the old styles was rapidly and willingly exchanged for the dictates of the new. In Sweden I found a wider belief more in accord with the early Functionalism of central Europe, a Faith which included the search for a new, juster and more humane society as well as for satisfaction of the intimate daily needs of families and old people and small children. I also found a less dogmatic attitude to style. Like Bartok, who drew inspiration from the folk music of Hungary when he created his music of the future, the new, fresh and inspiring architecture and industrial design of the golden age of ‘Swedish modernism’ was – without taint of nostalgia – rich with the experience of a long history of form: a history of the practical and beautiful use of simple materials of a poor country without access to the luxurious gold and brocade and spices of the orient. Beauty had been created by peasants and artists with wood and glass and iron, with flax and wool, and with colours extracted from the herbs and leaves of their pastures and forests. The best of Swedish Modern was an optimistic culture of that tradition, in a subtle and inventive relationship with the continuity of time and place.

It is a very ‘different’ architecture that arises from such considerations. I find here the important dividing line between the smooth beauty or sterility of ‘production-line’ and ‘international’ architecture or the eclecticism of the ‘baroque-

Since I would consider myself a latter day functionalist, I must define my understanding of the concept. It must be clearly understood that for me functionalism is no style but a method of thought, a work-process which can increase

A subtle and inspired architecture and aesthetic of economy should therefore become the overriding interest of architects in their professional role and the wise use of the saved resources their concern as citizens. The Aesthetic Experience

Ralph Erskine

our understanding of the activity in which we are involved. By no means should it be identified with the limitations of understanding or with the plans and the styles of its earlier years. Those were the early attempts to systematically apply to planning and architectural ideals which included social, aesthetic, housing, political and scientific elements which have always expanded our understanding of the physical world. The limitations of the Charter of Athens and other concepts, as well as the impossibility at that time of foreseeing the fundamental changes of the following epoch and their consequences are but one aspect – though typical – of the diverse processes which have led to the great problems which beset our age. Functionalism, as I understand it, may not be discarded in favour of the uncertainties of mysticism or dogma. It must ever be widened and deepened. Hypothesis and invention, experiment and careful checking of results must follow one another, and knowledge be sought from all the disciplines. When regarding the present interest in the fantasies of Postmodernism in arts and architecture it might seem that a well justified disillusionment with ‘that which might be’. __________________________

I therefore make a plea for an alternative philosophy, for brukskonst – the Art of that which is Useful – a plea, that is, for poetry and beauty created out of the realities and true needs of a disturbing world, for an architecture which expresses our dreams of a more just society and the inspired promises in our declaration of human rights.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Housing Workshop Research _____________________________

RESIDENTIAL HEALTHCARE: HOUSING FOR SENIORS Task 1 - Interview Slupsk, Poland The interview has been conducted with the Author’s grandparents, both in their 80’s, as well as parents (in their 50’s), acting as everyday life helpers. The grandparent’s health and mobility availability differs: the grandpa is in a better health condition, with almost unlimited ease of mobility, whereas grandma, because of hip surgeries carried out, has a hampered personal mobility. In order to understand the desirable living requirements of both elderly and people involved in their daily assistance the Author’s interest were the pluses and minuses of living specifically in this location (Slupsk, Poland), for future reference and implementation of these findings into possible improvements within the Housing for Seniors studio project. Furthermore, since integrated living does not remain restricted to the integration of the elderly, it was important to understand the relationship between senior-friendly (i.e. accessible, unrestricted) and assisted living, thus the integration of needs and wants of people involved in helping the elderly in their everyday life, as well as omission or mitigation of possible conflicts arising between the two. In this case the ‘helpers’ are the Author’s parents, but when tailored to the specific requirements, these findings could be easily adapted to improve workplaces for staff-persons in care and healthcare. When describing the interview findings the Author will firstly focus on the immediate and larger contexts in which the dwelling is situated and later move to the description of pros and cons related to the conditions 33

Housing Workshop Research

The inhabited dwelling is located in a district of detached houses in Slupsk - Poland. The area is surrounded by a forest belt to the east and a local park, with small lake insertions, stretching from the neighbourhood’s northern to western sides, where it is being terminated by Slupia’s riverbed. Due to the presence of great amounts of green spaces the area is used by many citizens for recreational and leisure activities (walking, running, fishing), both: living in close and remote proximities. These setting conditions were mentioned as favourable by both generations of the Author’s family in terms of leisure opportunities it offers, as well as the general impact of green areas and garden-like features on elevation of positive feelings and reduction of negatively toned emotions (for further investigation worth mentioning is Roger Ulrich’s paper for Plants and People conference titled ‘Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals’ (2002), where the author describes the benefits of nature and gardens in healthcare settings and effects of nature on clinical outcomes). The house described is offset from the main access road by the distance of 5 metres (1.5 metre pavement and 3.5 metre front lawn with some fruit trees), acting as a buffer zone to the building’s front facade. At the rear of the building stretches a large garden, which is divided into two areas: seating/leisure and cultivation. The garden ends with an earth embankment planted with a ‘wall’ of large trees (stopping traffic noise), which was formed in order to conduct one of the city’s main communication tractions (Fig.1). This close proximity of green spaces has been mentioned as favourable by both parties in terms of the possibility of using a private open space and the production of food consumed by the whole household, as well as the impact of cultivation on grandparents health and wellbeing (Fig.2) . Furthermore, a very important factor that has been mentioned by the grandparents was the significance of hard landscaping and slip resistant materials (both externally and internally), which supports their ease of movement. Moreover, whilst recognizing the convenience of owning a collectively used garden, the Author’s parents appreciated the likelihood of using a private external terrace, overlooking both: the rear garden and the front lawn. In this capacity, such spatial positioning has been mentioned as positive by both generations in terms of: the opportunity to spend time jointly and privately, as well as the increase of feeling of security, due to the possibility of supervising the Author’s grandparents, determined by the overlooking of the terrace over the ground level external spaces (Fig. 3/4).

each flat’s external entrances. In order to achieve a desirable degree of privacy both apartments can be separated from one another by closing the internal staircase’s door positioned on the ground floor level. In this case, whereas both generations recognize the advantages of the two dwellings connectedness, the obstacle turns out to be the raising of the ground floor, thus difficulty of entering the apartment by the elderly (Fig.5). Another problem that has been raised is the narrowness of the internal corridors in relation to the impeded movement within the flat (the passing by of inhabitants within the corridor). Lastly, in connection with the deterioration of grandparents hearing, hence increase in the volume of television viewing and verbal communication, noise transferring between the two flats has been mentioned as an disadvantage. Drawing from this information, the Author believes that this problem can be solved at the stage of spatial planning, by internal levelling of similar spatial uses in cores, or by retrofitting/design stage specification of soundproofing services, such as noise control materials (Fig.6).

The dwelling has two separate entrances, one leading to the raised ground floor flat (the increase in height of the ground floor is caused by the basement’s ceiling level raising above the land level) and the second to the lower level of the 1st floor flat. Both flats are interconnected with an internal staircase, which makes mutual visits possible without the necessity of using

1 Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

_____________ 1. The usage of green spaces / trees as noise absorbers 2. Importance of green spaces in relation to the reduction of negatively toned emotions and improvements in human well-being 3. Overlooking / sense of security 4. Interconnection - ease of mutual access 5. Avoidance of unnecessary obstructions / movement restrictors 6. Noise control

Housing Workshop Research

Kilwinning, Scotland For this interview assignment I had a discussion with my grandmother, who is 81 years of age, regarding her current living situation, recent changes we have made to her property in order to make it more suited to her changing needs, and finally how she envisaged living in the future and what her changing requirements may be. A summary of this discussion is listed below.

Bathroom – removed bath and replaced with shower with flush(not raised) shower tray(non slip) with chair, non slip floor surface also fitted(industrial synthetic carpet)

The current property is a two bedroom semi detached, ex- council property of approximately 150m2 which is now privately owned and has been modified in various ways to better suit the occupants need as they age. The occupant has stayed in this same house for over 50 years – and is the one and only tenant since its construction – therefore there is clearly a great attachment to it and a reluctance to move away from the property. Thus it has been modified as much as possible in the last few years, much of which was done by me, to make it more comfortable to live in for the time being. The biggest issue currently is the fact the house is split over two levels and thus stairs must be negotiated several times daily. The property’s only W.C. is on the second floor which is a problem and will become more so in the future. Got rid of car 2-3 years ago due to declining eye sight, therefore it was important to redevelop the external space/garden in order to have a place to go outside weather permitting and something to look out towards when within the house.

Kitchen – new shelves added at shoulder height as no longer practical to reach to upper parts of existing cupboards, extra storage to remove need to bend down or stretch up to cupboards.

Modifications/ additions which have been made so far: External - Made a more useable outdoor space, removal of asbestos garage, building of new outhouse/summerhouse, maintenance free – hard landscaping, level surface to make it easier to walk, lowering of washing lines to make it easier to reach, resurfacing of tiled front door step to sandstone with greater grip, handrail along sides of step. Removal of most plants / shrubs from front garden with retention of some which are of lower maintenance, use of hard / soft landscaping to create green/vibrant yet low maintenance garden space to front of property.

General – new gas central heating with automatic thermostatic control to keep temperature at a desired constant level, addition of thermal insulation in roof.

Stairs – new harder wearing safer no-slip carpet added, new hand rails and holds added Future – it would be desirable to live in a house that was all on one level with no stairs to negotiate, a ground floor accessible W.C. would ideally be installed, however this is not a particularly viable option in the current property. T he current plan for the future is to at some point move in with a relative, into a property which has either an integrated separate apartment or an annexed apartment or the potential to build such a space, which is all on one level and fully accessible. This would seem to be the most viable option as it is not feasible to stay in the current property indefinitely and it is not possible to convert it in a satisfactory or economically viable way. Having this separate living area is important to maintain independence whilst having the peace of mind that there is someone very close should and help be needed. An outdoor green space is an important part of this also as both a place to view from inside and also as a place to go out into in permitting weather conditions, a kitchen which is specially designed to have everything at reachable heights is also desired, a fully accessible bathroom is also desired.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Housing Workshop Research _____________________________

RESIDENTIAL HEALTHCARE: HOUSING FOR SENIORS Task 2 - Home/Work Workshop Values Proposed by:

THERESE ANDERSSON WÅHLSTRÖM Materiality – this is hard to convey or in fact address within the scope of this exercise, which is basically a piece of space planning in which materiality of the spaces created has not yet been considered. A comforting space – open, warm, safe – this is a value which is hard to quantify in an empirical manner as it is rather subjective to what one would perceive a comforting space to be, the apartment is however safe as it is accessed from an internal ‘street like’ corridor which would be accessible only to residents of the apartment building. Light and clear floor plan – servicing / bathroom /storage spaces positioned to the corridor entry side of the floor plan so that the maximum amount of light is gained in main living spaces which are oriented towards the full glazed externally facing wall also the space has been planned in a flexible rational way and is thus both light and clear.

Housing Workshop Research

NATHALIE MAIR Contact with nature / outside space – both apartments contain balcony/winter-garden spaces which have a direct connection with the external spaces they would face onto, providing a usable space with a connection to nature which can be inhabited comfortably all year round. Individuality – this value is again hard to address within the exercise, however the spaces can be made individual by the inhabitants and the floor plan has been composed to provide a maximum flexibility and accessibility. Simplicity – both these floor plans address this value in that they are simple and easy to navigate they are not simplistic but rather refined and rationally planned. ________________ Firstly we individually sketched out our ideas of several apartment types including a 2 room apartment and a 3 room apartment, we then merged the ideas from these sketches into a floor plan for each of the two unit types, taking the best ideas from our various sketches and discussing them together to create one refined rational floor plan for each of the two apartment types. Whilst sketching floor plans we discussed apartments which address different conditions, ground floor access, double aspect, single aspect stacked apartment types within a block etc. For the final apartment types which we would turn into models, we decided to consider apartments which were single aspect above ground floor level within a block, as these are more difficult to address in terms of planning and lighting conditions, but are most common within an apartment block type grouping. Whilst designing these plans, we considered it a good idea to connect the living spaces with winter gardens.in order to provide light and also a connection to nature and the outdoors, taking inspiration from our visit to BoVision Aldre, we provided within the plan a minimum number of turns between different useable spaces within the floor plan in order to make the plan easily navigated both on foot and by wheelchair, the layout of the bathroom was also informed by this visit, in that from our experience using the equipment available during this visit, we thought the toilet should be positioned directly in front of the access to the bathroom space in order to make it most usable by those who need full assisted living. We have found that generally in regard to internal corridors these are only used as a though route / for circulation so we decided it would be better to try and create an internal street which was animated and became a meeting/social space. Also there is often a lack of provision of storage space for equipment which can cause a conflict with circulation spaces so we provided niches within both the apartment and within the external circulation corridor which are flexible and can be used by the inhabitants of the apartments in a variety of ways depending on their specific needs.

for full accessibility as well as standard furniture which we have situated in the optimum position within the plan. Within the 2 room – one person apartment entry is possible without being required to enter the living space, the bathroom and bedroom are accessible from the entrance without going through any other spaces thus the division of private space and space which may need to be entered by a carer is preserved. A storage niche for walking aids / coats etc. is provided directly next to the entrance point within both of the apartments. All doors within the apartments have been sized at 1000mm in order to make them as fully accessible as possible. Also within both of the apartments, all circulation spaces are of a minimum dimension of 1500mm again to provide full access. Each bathroom is designed as a wet-room so that no shower tray is required and thus the room is all one level surface, there are also no level changes between any spaces within the apartment to ensure full accessibility. Between separate apartments within the imagined block, parti walls would contain shared services so as to reduce costs and the apartments have been planned so that all services would be on these shared walls, also parti walls would be of a greater depth than internal walls in order to reduce transmission of noise. Within the 3 room – 2 persons apartment there is a flexible secondary room/study which includes the following design features – sliding door to bathroom so that it can be accessed from this room without having to enter main living space and also to make distance required to travel shorter, separate access from the main access corridor which can be used as a storage space when the second bedroom is not required for assisted living. After finishing the model and analysing the floor plan related to it, we realised that the plan could be further refined in order to increase accessible and flexible. Firstly instead of the apartments having balconies we concluded that these should instead be winter-gardens so that they could be used comfortably all year round, providing the residents of the apartment with a much more usable space which would be an effective extension of the living space. Also after inserting standardised furniture blocks into the floor plan we concluded that certain spaces should be expanded in order to make them fully accessible. We also changed the kitchen layout within the three room apartment for 2 persons as the original layout was slightly problematic in regards to circulation, however this has been resolved and the space is fully accessible and much more usable.

After studying the models and drawing up the plans, we learned that in order to have full accessibility the positioning of furniture is extremely important and so the spaces we have planned have been sized to accommodate circulation required Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

________________ 2 ROOM PLUS KITCHEN – FOR ONE PERSON Total internal floor plan – 42m2 + 10.5m2 = 52.5m2 Bedroom – 15m2 (including built in wardrobe space) Bathroom – 8m2 Living space – 19m2 Winter-garden – 10.5m2

3 ROOM PLUS KITCHEN – FOR TWO PERSONS Total internal floor plan – 65m2 + 15 m2 = 80m2 Bed 1 – 15m2 Bed 2 – 13m2 Living – 25m2 Storage /secondary entry – 4.5m2 Bathroom – 7.5m2 Winter-garden – 15m2

_____________ 1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche - seating space 2. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche - equipment storage 3. Full height storage space (upper - coat hanger / bottom - equipment)

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4 Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

2 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT for one person

3 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT for two persons

_____________ 4. Study sketches 5. Study models - Oblique view 6. Study models - Top view

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3 4

8 7 Zoning diagram - Separation of private

and work space

_____________ 2 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT for one person (52.5 m2) Scale 1:100

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden

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6 8 Zoning diagram - Flexible areas 9 Zoning diagram - Separation of private,

work and shared space _____________

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3 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT for two persons (80 m2) Scale 1:100 1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Living space with kitchenette 6. Master bedroom 7. Secondary bedroom / work space 8. Storage / Secondary entrance space 9. Winter garden Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Housing Workshop Research _____________________________

RESIDENTIAL HEALTHCARE: HOUSING FOR SENIORS Literature Review Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals - Roger Ulrich Roger Ulrichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paper for Plants and People conference titled Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals, describes the benefits of nature and gardens in healthcare settings and effects of nature on clinical outcomes. His discussion concentrates mainly on the health-related benefits that patients comprehend by simply looking at gardens and plants, i.e. the impact of green areas and garden-like features on elevation of positive feelings and reduction of negatively toned emotions. Interestingly, the results of tests and findings carried out by the author prove that the occurrence of green features within healthcare institutions resulted in the reduction of expenditures on healthcare deliverance as well as elevated staff satisfaction. This thesis has been based on several studies carried out on students (acting as non-patient participants) as well as individuals in poor health condition. In relation to the Housing for Seniors project, particularly important for the Author was the research result of non-patient group of respondents. Since the provision of greenery acted positively on the individuals in good health condition, for the purpose of the project it has been assumed that the provision of calming and pleasant nature views within the housing sector can have only a positive impact on 43

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the residents well-being, as well as furthermore reducing the healthcare expenditure in the long term by preventive action in the form of extensive exposure to urban greenery within the housing sector. Homelike Housing for Elderly People - Materialized Ideology Eva Lundgren Naturally, the improvements of living conditions within the elderly housing sector needs to devote the same amount of attention to the lessons learned from Ulrich’s studies on health benefits of greenery as to the indoor qualities and conditions. In relation to this topic both are equally important. Interesting was to read Eva Lundgren’s paper titled Homelike Housing for Elderly People - Materialized Ideology. The author outlines the often institutional character and appearance which housing for elderly frequently takes form. The most important point raised is the strive to achieve warmth, coziness and familiarity within Elderly Housing, generally defined as ‘homelike’. In relation to this Lundgren mentions prejudices against elderly people, generalizations and stereotypes that many Architects are guided by when designing for Elderly Housing. The Author considers the homelike approach very legitimate, but only when a high-quality balance is achieved between the provision of homelike features and equipments providing necessary assistance to elderly, thereby facilitating for the execution of work for the staff in healthcare.

vary between opposing beliefs, feelings, theories and most importantly requirements. Moreover, the Author believes that a successful senior housing design needs to be deeply rooted in place making and urban design, which are the principal foundation for the prolonged existence of the built environment in terms of usefulness and economic benefit as well as people’s affections. The creation of sound solutions necessitates the inclusion of holistic approaches that will offer answers to the frequently encountered environmental, social, resource and economic requirements, or more ‘prosaically’ - the longing for a piece of furniture, form of the building, material finish or favorable view - thereby, when tailored to the realistic needs and wants of the end occupant, having a greater potential of becoming appreciated and intelligible. Housing for People of All Ages - Christian Schittich

‘When I design a building, I frequently find myself sinking into old, half-forgotten memories, and then I try to recollect what the remembered architectural situation was really like, what it had meant to me at the time, and I try to think how it could help me now to revive that vibrant atmosphere pervaded by the simple presence of things. And although I cannot trace any special forms, there is a hint of fullness and of richness which makes me think: this I have seen before. Yet, at the same time, I know that it is all new and different (...)’

Christian Schittich’s book gives a great insight into the various concepts of unrestricted and user-friendly future housing of an ever more eclectic society. The greatest impact on the Author’s project had two aspects of the book: firstly, in connection to the continuously changing requirements within the housing sector, how much attention needs to be devoted to anticipation of what will happen to a project / property over a period of time and the importance of future proofing and flexibility in relation to durability and usability of such edifices. Whereas senior housing needs to meet certain specific criteria in order to be classified as eligible for seniors to dwell, it is important to furthermore investigate integrated projects in order to improve the living qualities of the aging society, rather than only provide a strict number of units differing insignificantly from ordinary housing. Furthermore, the Author believes that the adaptability of flats, and therefore the long term usefulness of residence over the life course is essential to achieve. Supplementary storage space makes for less cluttered living space, which may be more suitable for people with mobility impairment. It is also the case that in housing with more floor space, corridors and doors can be broadened to be more suitable for wheelchair users.

In connection with previously described texts the Author believes that worth mentioning is Peter Zumthor’s Thinking Architecture, specifically first paragraphs of the ‘A way of looking at things’ essay. In this text and generally in all of his works, the author emphasises the sensory experiences of architecture, memories and universal feeling and understandings. The Author appreciates this sense of belonging an edifice has the potential of exerting on the inhabitant, specifically in the field of housing. In this capacity, Zumthor’s works can be seen as tangible contribution / precedent to Ulrich’s gardens, or Lundgren’s sense of home. This approach is particularly important and on the other hand extremely difficult to achieve in the design for Housing for Elderly, where one needs to

Secondly, learning from the general standard of exhibited building precedents it is the opinion of the Author that the standard of new built housing in Sweden needs to be improved. Understandably, the construction sector is inextricably linked with economics, as the work of architects is inextricably linked with the rules of the market. The Author believes that the ideal recipe for sound senior housing lies in the strive to achieve a balance between the needs of the user, limited capital and in accordance with the principles of professional ethics and caring about the quality of space. Moreover, the reduction of costs cannot be done at the expense of facilities provided, or aesthetical and technical qualities. Thus, if possible, it is important to seek alternative ways of boosting the quality of

Thinking Architecture - Peter Zumthor

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such edifices with other non-residential uses that could: firstly, raise the initial capital to erect housing; secondly, sustain the building’s maintenance and running costs.

_____________ Bibliography: 1. Lundgren, E. 2000. Homelike Housing for Elderly People - Materialized Ideology, Housing, Theory & Society 2000; 17: 109-120. 2. Schittich , C. 2007. Housing for People of All Ages, Berlin, Birkhäuser 3. Ulrich, R. 2002. Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals (conference paper - Plants for People), Texas, College State, A&M University 4. Zumthor, P. 1999. Thinking Architecture, Berlin, Birkhäuser 45

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My understanding of this literature review task is that we should firstly state which books, journals and articles from the course literature list we have read, along with other sources we have been reading during the course of this project. And that we should then summarise our reflections on this literature to show what if anything we have learned from it and how it may have informed our design of the current studio project. I have tried to read all of the proscribed course literature, in order to gain as much insight as possible into the typology of building we are to design within this project, this however has not been possible as not all have been available due to other students reading them. The full list of the main books I have been reading during this project can be found listed at the end of this paper, however I will not mention all of them directly within the following text as I feel it is better to only discuss the literature which I feel is directly relevant to the design of elderly housing and thus informed my design of the current studio project. One very important source of information for the design of a project of this nature, which may or may not be well known in Sweden, is a set of principles and guidelines used within the UK, called The Lifetime Homes Design Standard, developed by a multi agency team, including The Joseph Rowntree Trust. Whilst this was not a part of the course literature, I believe it shares some common ideas with several of the other sources I have read, but it presents them in a clear and understandable manner and as such is an interesting resource in the context of designing housing for the elderly. These principles are very much about universal design and adaptability, and argue for a level of forethought which will help to create better housing which has a much greater and more usable lifespan. This set of 5 overarching principles which are then met by adherence to the 16 criteria which must be followed in order for a project to be considered a Lifetime Home are listed below, and this level of thought regarding adaptability and usability of a spaces not just immediately, but throughout its life-cycle, is I feel, relevant to almost any typology and not just specifically housing, given the changing and uncertain future demographic of society. ‘The concept of Lifetime Homes was developed in the early 1990s by a group of housing experts. Lifetime Homes are ordinary homes incorporating 16 Design Criteria that can be universally applied to new homes at minimal cost.’ [http://www.lifetimehomes.org.uk/pages/about-us.html Accessed 01.01.2012]

–

The Lifetime Homes concept is based on five overarching principles which are as follows:

1. Where there is car parking adjacent to the home, it should be capable of enlargement to attain 3300mm width. 2. The distance from the car parking space to the home should be kept to a minimum and should be level or gently sloping. 3. The approach to all entrances should be level or gently sloping. 4. All entrances should: a) Be illuminated b) Have level access over the threshold and c) Have a covered main entrance. 5. a) Communal stairs should provide easy access and b) Where homes are reached by a lift, it should be fully accessible. 6. The width of the doorways and hallways should conform to the specifications in the next column. 7. There should be space for turning a wheelchair in dining areas and living rooms and adequate circulation space for wheelchairs elsewhere. 8. The living room should be at entrance level. 9. In houses of two or more storeys, there should be space on the entrance level that could be used as a convenient bedspace. 10. There should be: a) A wheelchair accessible entrance level WC, with b) Drainage provision enabling a shower to be fitted to be fitted in the future. 11. Walls in bathrooms and toilets should be capable of taking adaptations such as handrails. 12. The design should incorporate: a) Provision of a stair lift b) A suitably identified space for a through-the-floor lift from the ground to the first floor, for example to a bedroom next to a bathroom. 13. The design should provide a reasonable route for a potential hoist from a main bedroom to the bathroom.

Principle 1 – Inclusivity Principle 2 – Accessibility Principle 3 – Adaptability

14. The bathroom should be designed to incorporate ease of access to the bath, WC and wash basin. 15. Living room window glazing should begin at 800mm or lower and windows should be easy to open/operate.

Principle 4 – sustainability Principle 5 – Good Value These inform and establish the functional basis for the statements of principle that have been introduced for each of the sixteen Lifetime Homes criteria which are as follows:

16. Switches, sockets, ventilation and service controls should be at a height usable by all (i.e. between 450 and 1200mm from the floor). These Principals take ideas that are currently good practice within housing design and try to quantify them in a way which Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

almost anyone could understand and therefore makes their adoption all the more easy. They are currently being adopted in the UK by the majority of local authority and government controlled projects, and are also starting to become common practice in some good developer housing. These principles also either conform to or exceed the current Part M building regulations within the UK and will I suspect soon become the proscribed requirement. Another source of literature, which I found had several points within it which conformed to my own thinking regarding the design of elderly housing, was: New Approaches to Housing for the Second Half of Life by Andreas Huber. Within this book there are many ideas and opinions relating to the typology of elderly housing, some of which are extremely insightful. It is my personal opinion that there is a level of commonality to all housing design, and that most functions of specific typologies i.e. elderly housing, can be incorporated into all housing, as basically good housing is good regardless of who it has been intended for originally as it should have designed within it an flexibility to be used differently and by different users in the future with the minimum of changes required. This point seems to be backed up within this book in the following quotation: ‘Residential buildings must therefore be designed to be barrier free and suitable for the elderly and then lain out as flexibly as possible so that they remain useful throughout their existence (which can easily span three or four human generations). To put it another way, it makes sense to make buildings suitable for the elderly even when one has no particular housing model in mind. Significant restrictions on autonomy, safety, and quality of life result if a housing model that has been well thought out sociologically and is in fact attractive, is located in a building which does not satisfy the basic requirements. That might sound logical, but in practice it is far too often ignored.’ (Huber, New Approaches to Housing for the Second Half of Life, 2008, pg 183). The principles of universal design, can not only help those who are less able bodied, but also enhance the lives of those who are fully mobile and fit. Also when one takes into account the imagined life cycle of a building, it is only prudent to design into the building a level of flexibility which comes naturally from designing a building to be used by the maximum number of people. ‘Developers nevertheless often believe that producing housing for the elderly requires an enormous effort. The cliché that such housing has to look like a nursing home, and the fear that it cannot therefore be rented to those who are not disabled, persists stubbornly. With regard to the elderly themselves, it is important that the support be promoted as functional, as increasing comfort, or in some cases as quality of lifestyle. The point of this is not to deceive or ‘play down’ but rather to point out the positive, non-stigmatised qualities of the measures in question. A functionally arranged kitchen with cabinets that pull out completely may be decisive in enabling the elderly to obtain the necessary degree of independence in everyday life, but it also simplifies the work of everyone who uses it. A toilet installed at a height of 46 centimetres – rather than the standard 40 centimetres – will mean greater comfort for the vast majority of people; for the elderly, however, it can be crucial in determining whether they can stand up again 47

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after sitting.’ (Huber, New Approaches to Housing for the Second Half of Life, 2008, pg 183-84) This quote I feel is important in illustrating the point that whilst incorporating design features which are crucial in order for some people to be able to use a building, they can also enhance the experience of other users, whom the design features were not specifically created and all of this can be done within a standard budget for a building, by simply using intelligent design solutions and applying varying levels of standardisation and commonality to a design. Whilst not everything can be standardised there is a real need for more consideration regarding this in the future in relation to the life cycle of buildings. Whilst more standardised and repetitive design components within a building project can enhance it with sensitive respect for human scale, it is also the case that the by-product of repetitive space articulation can be the addition of overriding three dimensional constraints to the philosophy of standardization and commonality. ‘It has been shown that residential buildings that are not designed to be suitable for the elderly can also be less beneficial for families and hence make everyday life more difficult for many residents. Consequently, “construction design suitable for the elderly and disabled” means “construction design suitable for life”, because it takes into account all of life’s phases and eventualities. Architects, planners, developers, administrators and politicians –all of us – must learn to accept that one day we will be old and that ion old age many of us will have one disability or another. The decisions we make today are not made for others but for our own future. The farsightedness or indifference with which we build now will to a significant degree determine our own future autonomy and the quality of our lives.’ Huber (New Approaches to Housing for the Second Half of Life, 2008, pg 184) To summarise what I felt was the most important point within this book, which corresponds to my own personal architectural agenda and approach to design, is that far too often the most basic functional requirements of a building and the many people who will use it are secondary to a designer or developers personal agenda. In order for any architecture to be good it must first fulfil its original function, after which one can then play around with various ideas regarding a project provided they do not inhibit but rather protect or enhance the original required functions. Another important point illustrated within this text is regarding flexibility in relation to the life cycle of a building, if a building is going to last for 50 + years, then it is nearly impossible to predict what life or the desired use of the building will be at this time. It is perhaps worth asking not only how close is the correspondence between intentions and achievement, but how far one is able to forecast and assess the changing patterns of use which may develop in a building as the years go by – and how far it is possible to design fully for growth and change. Both of these points are very often ignored in the discussion surrounding projects within the architectural press, as for many: function comes second to architectural agenda. How one can design a building that will continue to be relevant and to some extent be future proof.

One of my favourite architects and theorists, Peter Smithson stated that: ‘(...) you can only design a building for a certain place at a certain time.’

failures, and this analysis of historical precedents is a fantastic resource which is far too often overlooked. Many of the points in this paper regarding what is curently wrong with peoples approach to the desing of housing, are the same as they were 50 years ago, a failure to meet the demands of the users and primary functions of the buildings.

Peter Smithson (The Charged Void: Architecture, 2001) This is very true, and when many people try to approach the idea of creating an adaptable or flexible space, they try to do the impossible and future proof it, often compromising the current functions. The foremost though must always be the current primary function of a building, this does not mean one should forget or disregard future uses as by applying many of the requirements of universal design, one will have already incorporated a degree of flexibility and adaptability into a design, with primary functions still intact. ‘Historically, the concept of the home, as well as the concept of the institution, has been used to solve social problems, without respect for the actual reality of the people who are going to live there. If we don’t consider the tenants’ own wishes, expectations and demands, today’s attempts are simply a new nomenclature (SoS-rapport 1990-13).’ (Eva Lundgren, Homelike Housing for Elderly People – Materialized ideology, 2000, pg. 119) Whilst this article was considerably longer and contained many more important points with regard to creating what is considered a homelike environment for elderly people, than is shown within the quote above, for me personally this was the most engaging and thought provoking sentence within the article. Whilst it may be the case that this reinfoirces an opinion which i already hold, it is none the less an importnatn point. Too often people especially architects, designers and developers fail to consider how people want to or chose to live within a space which they have designed. In regards to the building of housing, due to the current shortages, which seem to be occuring internationally at a level not seen since the post-war housing crisis, most people who are onvolved in the process of either commisioning designing or legislating in regard to housing are much more interested in quantity than quality. They are interested in stating that they have built x number of houses rather than x number of good houses. This links into a much greater discussion between living and dwelling, places where people have to live and where they choose to dwell. With a little more intelligent thought incorporated into the design process regarding elderly housing / social housing etc. These two things could be one and the same, housing where people would like to live, rather than just that they are able to live in it. Too often housing of varying typology has been used for the political or economic advantage of those who are involved in its construction, at the detriment of those who have to live within it. In regards to my own personal approach to architecture, i feel that within my favourite period or style of architectural desing, Brutalism, there are some fantastic ideas which can be adopted today which when combined with modern thinking and technology can be much more succesful than they were within the schemes in which they were originally concieved. I also feel that through the analysis of the buildings one likes regardless of architectural style, lessons can be learnt regarding their successes and

_____________ Bibliography: 1. Alison And Peter Smithson, 2001, The Charged Void: Architecture, New York, The Monacelli Press 2. Peter Collymore, 1994, The Architecture Of Ralph Erskine, Academy Editions, London 3. Malitda Stannow, 2008, The Architecture Of Ralph Erskine, Stockholm, Architectur Forlag 4. C. Douglas and M.Douglas, 2005, Patient-Centered Improvements In Health-Care Built Environments: Perspectives And Design Indicators, Health Expectations, 8, pg. 264-276 5. Joachim Fischer and Philipp Meuser, Accessible Architecture: Construction And Design Manual, 2009, Dom Publishers, Berlin 6. Eva Lundgren, 2000, Homelike Housing For Elderly People – Materialized Ideology, Housing, Theory & Society Vol.17 No.3 7. Welfare Housing Policies For Senior Citizens, 2007, Older Persons Housing Design: A European Good Practice Guide, Welhops 8. Welfare Housing Policies For Senior Citizens, 2007, European Housing Experiences For Senior Citizens, Report – Policies/Schemas/Experiences, Welhops 9. Reyner Banham, 1966, The New Brutalism: Ethic Or Aesthetic, London, The Architectural Press 10. Carles Broto, 2002, New Housing Concepts, Hamburg , Gingko Press 11. Andreas Huber, 2008, New Approaches To Housing For The Second Half Of Life, Basel, Birkhauser Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Staying in Bergsjön - Social Housing Analysis _____________________________ Bergsjön - Rymdtorget Gothenburg, Sweden Whilst doing our Erasmus exchange within Sweden we thought we should try to take advantage of as much as possible within our exchange in order to inform our thesis project research, therefore as Sweden is the home of the welfare state and social housing and housing is our area of research, we thought it would be appropriate to stay within social housing whilst studying here. Social housing within Sweden is administered through private housing associations and much of the housing stock which makes up this social housing was built as part of the million programme of postwar housing. By staying in a block of social housing, within an estate made up almost solely of social housing, we feel this has given us a much greater understanding of the various issues associated with daily life within this housing typology. The complexities and issues associated with this type of communal living can only be fully understood by experiencing them first hand. In addition to this it gave us the opportunity to document and analyse various forms of social housing within an estate and the lessons which can be learned from their successes and failings. We both acquired bedsit apartments within a 1960’s housing estate in Bergsjön, owned by the housing landlord, Familje Bostader (family housing), who as well as being a social landlord are also a general landlord and have several other rental typologies. We stayed on a street called Saturnusgaten within an area of Bergsjön known as Komettorget. We stayed in two separate blocks within close proximity of each other, with one apartment being east facing and the other west facing. Opposite the entrances to the two blocks, across a small green space was a residential healthcare facility for the elderly with an adjoining alcohol addiction rehabilitation facility. Ventilation within the apartments in kitchen and bathroom areas is an important issue and a problem area within the housing block we were staying in. The ventilation system currently installed was inadequate in that the time it took to extract and replace air within these areas was not to an acceptable level, the amount of ventilation required in the bathroom areas was considerably greater and as such the ceiling areas within the bathrooms were experiencing some level of damp due to the poor ventilation. Within the kitchen areas this ventilation system also caused problems due to cooking smells not being properly ventilated and even drifting between different neighbouring flats through the ventilation system. The communal laundry system within the apartment block whilst having a well defined rota system where one can chose a time to do laundry based on a calendar system with 5 x 3 hour laundry slots per day, however there were also issues where machines had broken down and thus people were unable to do their laundry within their chosen timings, also the limited hours of laundry timings in that the machines only work between 07:00 – 22:00 was also slightly restrictive. 49

Staying in Bergsjön - Analysis of Social Housing

The number of laundry machines for the amount of residents could also be improved to make the system work better as often one would have to wait for over a week to do laundry when the rota system was particularly busy, which is not an ideal situation. Another issue with the provision of communal laundry facilities is that it creates yet another communal area which must be cleaned and maintained. Another issue which has been experienced was a lack of ventilation within internal corridor spaces, causing a stagnant air flow, and a problem with cooking smells from individual apartments drifting into this communal area, causing an unpleasant smell. This could be solved by the introduction of a ventilation system within these communal corridors but this would perhaps be prohibitive to retrofit both economically and due to the buildings original construction system. A prominent issue within the apartment block is in regards to the refuse disposal areas, this cannot be accessed from within the apartment block but rather one must go outside the main entrance and enter a separate area which is not ideal, furthermore, the garbage disposal chutes which are provided on the landing areas of each floor are occasionally left open by residents and can cause an anti-social odour to develop. Because of the period when the apartment building was constructed, the internal walls between apartments are not particularly thick or acoustically insulated causing an issue with the transmission of noise between apartments, this is again difficult to address within the existing apartments in an economically viable way but a definitive lesson can be learnt for future housing of the same typology. The building is however particularly well thermally insulated for a building from this period, in comparison with buildings we are used to experiencing in the UK. There is also an issue with shared circulation/external spaces relating to the apartment block in that there is very little ownership or occupation/use of these largely undefined spaces, the internal circulation is effectively just a series of very long corridors which are very uninviting and are completely unanimated other than when people are leaving/entering their apartments. These long lifeless corridors could easily be seen by some people as intimidating or threatening which is not an desirable characteristic for mass housing. There are ample parking spaces provided for those who reside and work within the small area in which we stay, and as the residents within the area are largely made up of immigrants on low incomes, car ownership is not high and therefore good public transport links, which exist, are essential. The area is serviced by two tram stops which connect the area to the rest of the city as well as by frequent busses which also link the area to the city as well as other areas within the municipality. Another important factor in the success of this type of mass housing is its proximity to amenities which are required/desired by its residents.

The main area of housing at Rymdtorget which is a few hundred metres from the housing block in which we have been residing contains many amenities; a supermarket, post office, grocers, halal butcher, barbers, pub/bar, primary school, church, library, pharmacy, newsagents, several clothing stores, a mobile phone/technology shop, the social housing landlords offices, a kindergarten, municipality offices, a florist and a petrol station. And other facilities which may be required by the residents can be reached in a reasonable time by use of the moderately priced public transport system. Communal facilities within the block are extremely limited, comprising only shared recycling and shared laundry areas. These are really the only type of communal facilities a block of this size and nature could support, however a different configuration of the same typology could easily support many other facilities which may not be directly available in the locality. The layout of the individual apartments and how they interact with their adjoining apartments is fairly successful, with the kitchen/bathroom/entrance threshold all zoned to one side of the single aspect apartment, this creates a buffer between conflicting uses of neighbours due to the repetition of this layout.

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Anti-social behaviour within the block is not prevalent but where it does occur, it is by some residents to the inconvenience of almost all residents, the main observed source of this is through the dumping in corridors / outside the main entrance of large items of refuse such as old mattresses, furniture etc. this is a completely unnecessary act as there is provided within a close proximity of the housing block a skip/container for the sole purpose of the disposition of such items. It causes inconvenience by blocking corridors, creating an anti-social smell and is unhygienic.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP:

NORDIC ARCHITECTURE

International Workshop: Nordic Architecture Schedule

_____________________________ Tuesday 27 September 9.00 - 12.00

Lecture: A comparative perspective on Nordic architecture Gerd Bloxham Zettersten

13.00 - 16.00

Lecture: Sweden 1930–70 Claes Caldenby

Wednesday 28 September 9.00 - 12.00

Lecture: Sweden 1970–2010 Claes Caldenby

13.00 - 16.00

Lecture: Pictures of the North Lennart Pettersson

Thursday 29 September 8.30 - 16.30

Seminar 1: Examples of Nordic Architecture

Monday 3 October - Friday 7 October: Study Tour to Norway ____________ Monday 3 October 10.00 -12.00

Vitlycke Rock Art Museum Tanumshede, northern Bohuslän, Sweden

16.00

Lillehammer

Page 51

Tuesday 4 October 12.00 - 14.00

Borgund Stave Church Borgund, Lærdal, Norway

Page 53

9.00 - 10.30

Bjerkebæk Visitor’s Centre Sigrid Undset’s home, designed by Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk Lillehammer

Page 55

13.00 - 15.00

Hedmark Museum and Glass Cathedral by Sverre Fehn Hamar, Norway

Page 57

Wednesday 5 October

Thursday 6 October

9.00 - 10.30

Oslo: Walk along Akerselva

11.00 - 13.00

visit to AHO School of Architecture Lecture on Oslo - dean K O Ellefsen

13:30 - 15.00

Mortensrud Church by Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor (JSA) Mortensrud, Oslo

Page 59

16.00 -

Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta

Page 61

Friday 7 October 9.00 - 13.00

Norwegian Museum of Architecture (Extension by Sverre Fehn) Lecture on Norwegian Architecture - Nina Berre

____________ Tuesday 11 October 9.00 - 10.30

Lecture: Four Nordic Capitals Claes Caldenby

Wednesday 12 October 10.00 - 12.00

Visit to Gunnar Asplund’s Law Courts Extension

13.00 - 17.00

Lecture: Danish Architecture Morten Lund

Page 63

Friday 14 October 10.00 - 12.00

Lecture: Finnish Architecture Ville Helander

Monday 17 October 9.00 - 12.00

Lecture: Nordic-Baltic experiences Claes Caldenby / Marija Dremaite

Thursday 20 October – Friday 21 October 09.00–16.00

International Workshop Seminars / Group Discussions Is there a Nordic Architecture?

Page 65 / 71

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Vitlycke Rock Art Museum Tanumshede, northern BohuslĂ¤n, Sweden Architect: Carl NyrĂŠn

__________________________________________ Vitlycke Museum in Tanum, was built in 1997 for Bohus County Council, and was designed by the swedish architect Carl Nyren, originally an advocate of modernism, influenced by Eric Gunnar Asplund, who later developed a more romantic, humanistic architectural style which is exemplified within this project. The building is 1450m2 and had a total construction cost of 24.5 Million SEK. Vitlycke Museum is situated in the heart of the World Heritage area of Tanum and is the centre for information and activities regarding the surrounding Rock Art sites. The rock carvings in Tanum were added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 1994, being an outstanding example of bronze age art.

the aim of this material choice being to integrate the buiding into its surrouding landscape as much as possible and to be sensitive to the context of this world Hertigate site. Internally, the walls and floors are mainly of pine and spruce construction, except for the floor in the entrance hall, which acts as a path through the museum and is of a local granite stone construction, mirroring the rocks outside and drawing the surrounding landscape into the building.

Within the Tanum World Heritage area are four magnificent carved panels covered with images. The largest one is the Vitlycke panel, located at the museum. The building has a symmetrical shape, with two arc-shaped volumes enclosing a central entrance hall, acting also as a route through the museum from the plateau where you go in at the front, to the rear where you go out into the fenced yard to see how people lived in the Bronze Age. Because of the natural plateau on which the building sits, you must ascend a series of steps in order to reach the main entrance, although the building is fully accessible via a much longer side route. From the entrance threshold, you reach all the buildings internal functions which are orientated in order to provide the optimum lighting conditions for the activities which happen there. They have been grouped together, with a restaurant, administration, library and workshop located in the southern wing of the building, with views of the countryside and exhibitions in the northern wing, with views of the mountain and forest. The two arcs are lit from vertical windows in the roofs and gable ends. The exterior facades are clad in untreated rough sawn oak boarding, oak being the dominant tree species in the area,

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Borgund Stave Church Borgund, Lærdal, Norway __________________________________________

Borgund Stave Church, is triple nave stave church of the Sogn-type, and is the best preserved of Norways medieval woden stave churches of which 28 still remain. Borgund was built sometime between 1180 and 1250 CE with later additions and restorations. Its walls are formed by vertical wooden boards, or staves, hence the name stave church. The four corner posts were connected to one another by ground sills, resting on a stone foundation.The rest of the staves then rise from the ground sills, each stave notched and grooved along the sides so that they lock into one another, forming a sturdy wall. The church is built on a basilica plan, with reduced side aisles and an added chancel and apse. It has a raised central nave demarcated on four sides by an arcade. An ambulatory runs around this platform and into the chancel and apse, both added in the 14th century. An additional ambulatory, in the form of a porch, runs around the exterior of the building, sheltered under the overhanging shingled roof. The floor plan of this church resembles that of a central plan, doubleshelled Greek cross with an apse attached to one end in place of the fourth arm. The entries to the church are in the three arms of the almost-cross. The ceiling is held up with scissor beams or two steeply angled supports crossing each other to form an X shape with a narrow top span and a broader bottom span. The lower ends of the X shape are joined by a bottom truss to prevent the X from collapsing. In the case of Borgund, an additional beam cuts across the X below the crossing point but above the bottom truss, for extra stability. This stabilizes the steeply pitched roof, consisting of horizontal boards covered in shingles. Originally, the roof would have been covered on the outside with boards running lengthwise, like the composition of the roof beneath it, however in later years wooden shingles became more common. Scissor beam roof construction is typical of most stave churches.

Bracing in the form of cross-shaped trusses also appears on the walls of the building itself, diagonal beams running up the walls from the floor to about level with the top of the arcade. Further crossing, this time in a more ornamental sense appears in the cross shaped carvings with medallions in the center, commonly dubbed Saint Andrew’s crosses which run along the area above the arcade, in the visual ‘second story’ that is not actually a gallery but is located where one is commonly put in large stone churches elsewhere in Europe at this time. Near these smaller crosses are the pincer beams, running between the columns to help further wedge everything firmly together. The most important bracing elements are the carved buttresses that are supported by knee joints and arc upward from the outer wall to the top of the arcade as these help to support the outward thrust on the stave walls. The exterior of the Church has recently undergone a major restoration with restoration works to the interior to be carried out at a later date. Because this restoration work was ongoing whilst we visited the church, it gave us a unique opportunity to see first hand the construction and restoration methods used in such a structure, and as we were allowed onto the scaffolding which surrouded parts of the church at the time of our visit, we were able to view the roof details of the church from a different vantage point and see up close the level of craftsmanship within the ornamentation which most people who visit the church would never normally see.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Bjerkebæk Visitors Centre Lillehammer, Norway Sigrid Undset’s home Architect: Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk Arkitektkontor

__________________________________________ The Bjerkebaek Visitors Centre, was contructed in 2007, and designed by the Norwegian architect Carl-Viggo Hømebakk. The building fronts the site of Sigrid Undset’s home, and protects the impressive botanical garden which she created, from the street edge. The building is of a mixed construction, with almost none of the materials being local or relating to the venacular, in contrast to the two original buildings, which made up Sigrid Undset’s home and lie to the rear of the site. The front of the building which faces the street edge, but is set back from it, is of a grey brick construction with minimal fenestration. this is in sharp contrast to the rear of the building which is of a mostly glass construction, facing onto the beautiful gardens behind with its many birch trees. The effect of this glass construction is to draw the external landscape into the interior of the building allowing you to begin to get a feeling of the place in which Undset had lived without yet being able to see the two buildings which made up her home. Within the building, two walls in solid concrete and concrete bricks form an elongated core containing the entrance, rest rooms, kitchen and other service rooms. The straight concrete core is the backdrop for the exhibition area, a taller and lighter space organized by an undulating glass wall made of reglit glass. The slim steel columns within this glass wall become almost invisible, because of their resemblance to the tree trunks outside. This also has the effect of making the concrete roof and floor appear as if they are cantilevered out from the spine-like core, forming a base for observing the forest and Undset’s home. Undset’s home is reached from the new visitors centre by an elevated concrete ramp which meanders through the trees and over a river as it descends through the site. This journey through the trees and the process of descending on this ramp helps to reinforce the beauty and importance of the garden through which you travel.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Sverre Fehn

Carlo Scarpa

Hedmark Museum

Castelvecchio Museum

Hedmark Museum and Glass Cathedral Hamar, Norway Architect: Sverre Fehn / Kjell Lund

__________________________________________ Situated in beautiful surroundings by the Mjøsa Lake, Hedmark Museum is a regional museum for the municipalities of Stange, Hamar, Løten, and Ringsaker in central eastern Norway. The site has been a meeting-place for 1500 years. In the Middle Ages, it was the site of Hamarkaupangen (Hamar market). The town was the administrative centre of the inner Eastern Norway region and the seat of the bishopric and royal representatives. The ruins of the bishopric’s large buildings, the cathedral and the bishop’s palace lie in an area where the main features of the medieval landscape still survive. The Museum incorporates the ruins of Hamar’s medieval cathedral, covered by a unique glass and steel structure, a creation of the architect Kjell Lund. Another sensational building at the museum is the Storhamar-barn, which was made into a museum by Sverre Fehn in the 1970s, and it has become one of his central works. The tiers of history are clearly visible in the buildings new form as a museum, where Sverre Fehn’s installations read simply as another layer in the buildings story. This narrative provides legible understanding for the visitor, as well as maintaining access for the ongoing archaeological excavations below. The spaces of the barns now hold Fehn’s uncompromising concrete forms, which allow the visitor to move through the spaces in ways that would not have been possible previously. Fehn raises the visitor up on concrete ramps, soaring through the barns. But his understanding of the value of the ruins is clear in the minimal contact points with the ground. A complex form of three exhibition rooms and walkway extending through the West Barn sitting on very few slender columns is only appreciated fully when one realises they are entirely free standing of the existing structure.

Thick stone walls comprised of two layers of history surround the visitor at all times. Fehn’s choice of a modern palette of materials – glulam timber beams, concrete, steel and glass windows – enhances the understanding of the building for the visitor, through his maintaining a truth to materiality and clearly showing the construction. The sense human scale is evident in his casting of the concrete. A beautiful finish from the timber shuttering provides a sense of tactility to forms which could be overpowering if not treated sensitively. Fehn’s glulam posts which support the roof structure are integrated with the layered walls, sitting at different heights using ledges in the wall to rest on. This can be clearly seen in the West Barn, and is perhaps the most integrated connection between his work and the existing fabric. He leans towards the vernacular in the design of the roof as a simple truss system which offers flexibility in resting on the walls, this is contrasted however by innovative glass roof tiles, the external red shuttering and red roof tiles make no reference to what lies within.

The North Barn, which holds the majority of the museum’s exhibits, shows the level of thought which Fehn put into the building, personally curating items found during excavations and his choice of those which are exhibited is very careful and extremely specific. This symbolic display reminds the visitor that the space is a museum, and not an advert for his architecture.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Mortensrud Church Mortensrud, Oslo Architect: Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor

__________________________________________ Mortensrud Church was built in 2002, designed by Jensen and Skodvin Architects. The building is 2200m2 and had a construction cost of 42 Million NOK.

columns, inserted into the wall every meter. These plates can stiffen this wall only when the weight of the wall itself is added to this structure.

The church is situated on the top of a small crest with large pine trees and some exposed rock. The church is an addition to the existing ground, no blasting and excavation was necessary except carefully removing the thin layer of soil.

The glass facades are stiffened with “propels” made from steel plates that are inserted into the vertical joints between the glass panes, and to the horizontal steel plates in the stonewall.

This technique, among other things, made it easier to preserve the existing vegetation and topography, thereby adding a dimension to the experience of the building. A number of trees are preserved in atriums within the enclosure. Some of the rock formations emerge like islands in the concrete floor of the church, between the congregation and choir. Thus the church takes its major divisions from elements already on the site. This is possible because there are relatively large tolerances in dimensioning the rooms. No module has been used to determine the exact positions of the gardens. Rather the materials and structures are chosen so that a gradual non incremental adjustment of dimensions, without steps or modules, is possible. The tension between the wish to create a “silent” self-referring room, and a variety of obstacles limiting this possibility, has been deliberately chosen as a strategy to architecturally “disturb” a process in which a wide range of people and interests are involved, and which otherwise would be heavily loaded with conventional and other historical references.

The budget was very tight, and the price per square meter equals that of social housing in Oslo. To get this building realized every possibility to get more from less was used, economically speaking. This was achieved mainly by avoiding conventional “proprietary” systems for facades, structures, walls, floors etc. Rather very basic methods and techniques were used making the contruction cheaper and allowing a greater freedom of architectural expression. The fragmented and complex character that emerged and concluded the process of searching for the possible configurations – that is the layout that eventually could be realized given the limitation of the site and budget – turned out to be so complex that it is virtually impossible to photograph the whole building, or interior in one shot. The church contains several commisioned artworks, including a blue glass sculpture in the chapel, and the main alterpiece of the church containing three pieces of stone, one from the Berlin wall, one from Robben Island and one from Jerusalem, both designed by Gunnar Torvund, as well as a marble piece in the chapel, by Knut Wold.

The main structure is a steel framework with a stone wall carrying the roof. A glass facade 90 – 160 cm off the stone wall defines a narrow gallery around the church room. The stone in this wall is built without mortar, thus letting light through, and has one even side, and one uneven as standard. The uneven outside of the internal stone wall is exposed to the outside through the glass facade on three sides of the church. The stonewall is stiffened horizontally by steel plates, 4mm x 250mm, that spans between the

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Regeneration

Catalyst

Oslo Opera House Oslo Architect: Snøhetta

__________________________________________ The operahouse is the realisation of the winning competion entry. Three ideas, which were presented as diagrams in the original competition entry, explain the building’s basic concept. The wave wall Opera and ballet are young artforms in Norway. These artforms evolve in an international setting . The Bjørvika peninsula is part of a harbour city, which is historically the meeting point with the rest of the world.. The dividing line between the ground ‘here’ and the water ‘there’is both a real and a symbolic threshold. This threshold is realised as a large wall on the line of the meeting between land and sea, Norway and the world, art and everyday life. This is the threshold where the public meet the art. The Factory A detailed brief was developed as a basis for the competition. Snøhetta proposed that the production facitities of the operahouse should be realised as a self contained, rationally planned ‘factory’. This factory should be both functional and flexible during the planning phase as well as in later use. This flexibility has proved to be very important during the planning phase: a number of rooms and romm groups have been adjusted in collaboration with the end user. These changes have improved the buildings functionality without affecting the architecture. The Carpet The competion brief stated that the operahouse should be of high architectural quality and should be monumental in it’s expression. One idea stood out as a legitimation of this monumentality: The concept of togetherness, joint ownership, easy and open access for all. To achieve a monumentality based on these notions we wished to make the opera accessible in the widest possible sense, by laying out a ‘carpet’ of horizontal and sloping surfaces on top of

the building. This carpet has been given an articulated form, related to the cityscape. Monumentality is achieved through horizontal extension and not verticality. The operahouse is the first element in the planned transformation of this area of the city. In 2010 the heavy traffic beside the building was moved into a tunnel under the fjord. Due to its size and aesthetic expression, the operahouse will stand apart from other buildings in the area. The marble clad roofscape forms a large public space in the landscape of the city and the fjord. The public face of the operahouse faces west and north – while at the same time, the building’s profile is clear from a great distance from the fjord to the south. Viewed from the Akershus castle and from the grid city the building creates a relationship between the fjord and the Ekerberg hill to the east. Seen from the central station and Chr. Fredriks sq. The opera catches the attention with a falling which frames the eastern edge of the view of the fjord and its islands. The building connects city and fjord, urbanity and landscape. To the East, the ‘factory’ is articulated and varied. One can see the activities within the building: ballet reheasal rooms at the upper levels, workshops at street level. The future connection to a living and animated new part of town will give a greater sense of urbanity. The building is experienced very differently depending on which season you visit, in summer, the walkable roof is in full use, with a scattering of people animating the giant marble landscape and enjoying magnificent views of the fjord, whereas in winter the roof is copvered in snow, no longer accessible, yet at this time the building blends in to the landscape so much more with it being hard to tell where the building stops and the frozen sea begins.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Law Courts Extension Gothenburg, Sweden Architect: Gunnar Asplund

__________________________________________ Gunnar Asplund’s Law Courts Extension has an international reputation, a modernistic building that well adapts to the older environment. The project’s complex history began in 1913, when Asplund won the competition to alter and extend the Law Courts in Gothenburg with a design of National Romantic inspiration. This evaded the difficult problem of adding to a Classical design by proposing a total transformation of the existing building and integration of the extension to form a new whole. Through a succession of subsequent schemes, of overtly Classical design, Asplund gradually developed the idea of the extension as an attached pavilion whose composition deferred to the existing building while maintaining an identity of its own. Asplund’s annex is a U-shaped building with an interior atrium, and different architectural styles for the interior and exterior. The facade as seen today, arrived at as late as 1936, after construction had begun, is a reconciliation of old and new, Classical and Modern. The internal structure of floor slabs and columns is expressed as an abstract, gridded frame, while the asymmetrical pattern of windows subordinates the extension to the old building and simultaneously hints at the internal organization. The two right-hand end windows of the ‘old’ building are in fact, new, and the four new openings with bas-reliefs above them are asymmetrical not only within the whole, but also within themselves. They also mark the most important rooms on the front facade and delineate the size of the atrium within. Column spacing in the old building is approximated in the new. However, rather than use Classical form to articulate the facade, Asplund took a Modern approach. The columns in the annex are shown as little more than surface relief, shallower even than the pilasters on the old building. They have no true capitals or bases, but widen slightly at top and bottom, anticipating Post-Modernism by decades. The outlines of the beams supporting each floor are raised to the same level as the columns, and intersect them seamlessly,

creating a uniform, unbroken grid. The design of the grid is curious. In the original facade, the columns span two levels, unbroken. But here, they are nearly indistinguishable from the grid, connected with the beams the same way at every level. By showing the structure this way, the grid denies the new facade a chance for the same vertical expansion and contraction of the neo-Classical original. The windows are at roughly the same height as in the original, but are no longer centered between columns. They are aligned with the column closest to the original building, and closer to the beam above them than the beam below. The asymmetry of this arrangement gives the composition an unsettling look of falling up and to one side. This facade does not sit quietly in the background, allowing the original design to be dominant; instead, its striking differences from the old facade keep drawing one’s eyes to it, and then forcing them away. Asplund originally envisaged glazing over the courtyard of the existing building, but as the idea of a distinct extension developed, he proposed a separate atrium for the extension, at first circular, then square. The interior is entirely Modern, not a hybrid and is linked to the original courtyard with a two-story glass curtain wall. The columns inside are spaced on the original grid, but that is the extent of the old building’s influence. They are steel, encased with concrete that has been carved out to reveal the shape of the metal within, and without fake bases or capitals. The concrete covering the beams is gradually thickened as they reach their greatest bending moment, a Modern expression of the structure’s function. The smaller interior elements are machinelike in their repetition and similarity. The walls are covered with smooth, regular panels of wood. The railings on three sides of the second floor walkway are made of wood panels and metal tubes. The fourth side, next to the glass wall, has railings made from thin vertical strips of wood, spaced several inches apart. This extends the transparency of the glass wall into the interior, and allows light from the courtyard to penetrate farther, strengthening the visual connection.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

International Workshop: Nordic Architecture Michal Scieszka

IS THERE A NORDIC ARCHITECTURE, and if so, what are its characteristics? From the beginning of the 17th and right up to the late 19th century the whole of Scandinavia was greatly influenced by English, French, German and Dutch developments and planning strategies (Camillo Sitte, Ebenezer Howard, Le Corbusier). The emergence of the Nordic design and architecture phenomenon can be explained with the juxtaposition of Scandinavian coutries individual and collective design trends, both in international and local contexts (Hall: 1991). Although one can find differences in the architectural executions of individual countries belonging to the Nordic region, certain core values are common in all. The collective identity and common approach to design and architecture is formed by the observation and assimilation of international styles as well as the invoking of successful laws and findings of its neighbors, determined by countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inner socio-political, historical, economical and topographical conditions. This unique exchange of ideas and experiences offered the plurality of architectural trends and solutions to choose from, yet little that would be conventionally Scandinavian. In Christian Norberg-Schulz book Modern Norwegian Architecture the Author quotes Lars Backerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s article Our Spineless Architecture (1925) in which the architect _____________ 1. Frontispiece of Marc-Antoine Laugier: Essay on Architecture, 2nd ed. 1755 (Highlighted: ridge joint, column - entablature joint)

01 1

is calling for the cessation of the ‘artistic’ Romanticism and Classicism, to make way for the new ‘objective’ Functionalism - climate and landscape thoughtfulness, construction and materials considerations in relation to the user’s demands and economy (Norberg-Schulz: 1986). ‘To build is no longer ‘architecture’ in the old-fashioned sense of the word, with rules and strict stylistic categories, classified and organized by writers on art. It becomes good architecture, however, in so far as the construction is rational and suited to its purpose.’ Lars Backer, Our Spineless Architecture (1925) In this capacity the Functionalist movement, with its ideological roots in the ethos evolving from the awareness of needs, merged with the traditional vernacular, gave the Nordic architects the vent to distinguish themselves on both: international and local scene. The guiding idea was to improve the quality of human life, which primarily focused on everyday objects: furniture, fabrics, kitchen items and ergonomics as well as decorative accessories. It turned out that the environment provides inspiration for variety of forms, shapes, rich patterns and colours. Furthermore, the concept of functionality called for a practical approach within the built environment and its reconciliation of the scarce availability of local built materials and cost-effectiveness. For centuries local requirements and conditions have been addressed with methods of construction tailored to locally available resources. The biggest advantage of vernacular techniques is that building data has been gathered through centuries with the method of trial and error, thus, providing a balanced and rational knowledge of cultural, historical and environmental contexts. In turn, this localism emphasis gave the individual Scandinavian countries the opportunity to distinguish themselves as ‘unmistakably Finnish’ or ‘evidently Danish’. Furthermore, the motivation to appeal to social values and belief of sensibility towards nature could not be met without the integrity of form and function. Difficult natural conditions, limited access to raw materials in conjunction with Scandinavian restraint meant that both buildings and products created are primarily functional, practical and durable. In this capacity the functional and structural basis as well as the natural co-dependence of Nordic architecture can be seen as following Laugier’s first architectural idea - the primitive hut. This primarily refers to the somewhat symbiosis achieved with nature, in terms of materiality and insideoutside connections, as well as the modesty and purity of detailing - celebrating only the essential elements in architecture. As in Laugier’s frontispiece, where his primitive hut is an imitation of nature’s principles, it is perfect in itself and needs no longer to be corrected, it is simple and rational - all elements such as the column, entablature and pediment are finite and necessary (Rykwert: 1981).

By analyzing various examples of Scandinavian countries’ buildings, the Author will try to outline some typical of the country characteristics. The Danish style seems to be distinguish by utilitarianism, balanced proportions and clean lines. The Norwegian, appears to be very thoughtful and reflective, but on the other hand can be very eccentric, yet still rational (National Opera in Oslo - Snøhetta). The approach to design by the Finns is more organic, but yet pragmatic (Utzon, Aalto), which in turn brings it closer to the Danish approach. The difference between the two can be observed in the colour palette usage - Finnish frequent avoidance of grays in favor of pastel and earthy tones, as well as timber and glass. Lastly, Sweden, which in Author’s opinion seems to be determined by the entire repertoire of Scandinavian design characteristics. Commonly in all, the architectural design is an integral part of life and has specific stylistic differentiations, thus one needs to be careful when using the term Nordic Architecture when referring to works covering the whole Scandinavian territory. It is commonly believed that the post-war period has brought Scandinavian design to limelight, but for this to happen, the Scandinavian consciousness had to be shaped for decades. Therefore worth mentioning is the historical backdrop in which this movement emerged. The composition of these changes included philosophical and social transformations (such as women’s rights) and formations of national consciousnesses (Finland’s 1917 and Norway’s 1905 independence). The term Scandinavian/Nordic design arose during the 50s of the XX century and is known for the golden era of Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Finnish design. During this period the functional, democratic and so-called human approach to Modernism reputation has been shaped. The era after the II World War determined a new stage and time by defining the time through a new, utilitarian look at the applied art, such as finding new ergonomic solutions and overall: redefining the goals and objectives of design (Hall: 1991). One can say that the Scandinavians followed the same paths as other European countries, but also filtered the international ideas through Nordic entity - a consistent derive from cultural heritage, drawing from familiar motives and techniques as well as respect for the past. Undoubtedly this respect for tradition that has been embedded in minds of Nordic countries inhabitants has to do with the nations’ strive to preserve the traditional crafts, starting already in the XIX century. An example can be the Finnish Association for the Design and Craftsmanship (established in 1875), or Svensk Form - Swedish Society of Crafts and Design (1845), established to support efforts to improve standards of design in their industries and to promote and educate the public in the sense of aesthetics, both locally and internationally. For the reason that it is difficult to clearly define what actually Nordic architecture is, the Author - as Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

an ‘outside observer’, would like to describe his perception of contemporary Nordic architecture by using three examples of buildings: the Tree Hotel in Harads and Söderöra - summer house in the Stockholm archipelago by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, as well as the Hedmark Museum at Domkirkeodden, Hamar by Sverre Fehn. Although the function these buildings are serving is different, the Author believes that of these edifices seem to follow the heretofore highlighted principles which best describe Scandinavian architecture. All of the above sensibly adapt themselves and contribute to their topographical situations and landscape: the Hotel imitates its surroundings and sky with the use of reflective glass, uses the try trunk as its load bearing structure; the summer house ‘camouflages’ itself within the forest setting with the use of differently treated timber wood paneling as its external envelope; Hedmark Museum on the other hand, is working within the confines of the Medieval Ages structures - compliments and protects the old with the creation of: concrete promenades, ‘floating’ above the sections of the fortress ruins, laminated wood construction with glass tile insertions and minimalist large glass surfaces covering the original masonry openings. The connection between the surrounding landscape and the user, as well as the general tenderness towards the experiences offered are being achieved through the mastery of detailing. Delicate and tasteful features, simple and refined joints as well as strict requirements of quality make up the warm quality of spaces and allow for an uninterrupted appreciation of spatial experiences.

Furthermore, great understanding of values appreciated as a nation are being transformed into a building plan - the buildings themselves are not ‘fighting’ for attention with their setting or occupier, but modestly and mutually praise one another. Indisputable is that the Scandinavian Architectural trends focus on universal values, which are undoubtedly attractive in other cultures. The language and rhetoric, based on universal features resulting from ergonomics, standards and regulations, as well as common sensible balance between evoking scientific innovations and background knowledge of native traditions gives compelling answers to questions faced and is understood and accepted not only in its own cultural context, but is overcoming the existing geo-political divisions.

_____________ 2. Some of the Nordic international influences 3. Exchange of ideas: invoking of neighbors successful laws and findings 4. Export: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Scandinavisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

_____________ 5. Landscape (both: Nature and Man - made) and topography adaptation 6. Inside - Outside Connection 7. Tenderness towards internal comfortability and user experience

_____________

Bibliography: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Hall, T. 1991. Planning and Urban Growth in Nordic Countries, London, Chapman & Hall Helsing-Almaas, I. 2002. Norway - A guide to recent Architecture, London, BT Batsford Hultin, O. 1989. Arkitektur i Sverige 1984 - 89 | Architecture in Sweden, Stockholm, Arkitektur Förlag AB Hultin, O. 1994. Arkitektur i Sverige 1990 - 94 | Architecture in Sweden, Stockholm, Arkitektur Förlag AB Madshus, E., Yvenes, M. 2008. Architect Sverre Fehn, intuition - reflection - construction, Oslo, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design Norberg-Schulz, C. 1986. Modern Norwegian Architecture, Oxford, Oxford University Press Rykwert, J. 1981. On Adam’s House in Paradise: The Idea of the Primitive Hut in architectural history, Cambridge, MA: Mit Press www.designforum.fi (Accessed: 11.10.2011 19:00) www.svenskform.se (Accessed: 11.10.2011 21:00) Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

International Workshop: Nordic Architecture Dale Smith

IS THERE A NORDIC ARCHITECTURE, and if so, what are its characteristics? In order to try to answer the question is there a Nordic architecture; many more questions are raised, none of which are perhaps any easier to answer. Given how many additional questions are raised by posing this one original question and the short length of this paper any answer to this question is going to be rather narrow sighted as whilst there are vast amounts of ideas which could be discussed and analysed, they can barely be touched upon in a paper of this nature. If there is a Nordic architecture is it simply about a visual identity or is there rather an underlying social philosophy/approach to architecture which would best define it? Social values inform architecture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is this the definitive idea of Nordic architecture? Is there a link between all the Nordic countries being social democracies? And how does it relate to the welfare state? What is the link between the state/society and architecture in the Nordic countries and is it different from the rest of the world and thus can be seen to be a Nordic characteristic? Is there then a typology or typologies which would exemplify this notion of a Nordic architecture? Does Nordic population density have a link to differing architecture within the individual Nordic countries? Does an architect have to be from one of

the Nordic countries in order for their architecture to be Nordic? Does the Building have to be in one of the Nordic Countries? Does it have to be both of these? Or neither? Given the global nature of Architecture today examples which equally prove and disprove an answer to any of these questions could be found, some of this is more likely than not a line of questioning which is not going to help answer the overall topic of this paper, but which were this paper considerably longer would be important to address none the less. Perhaps a good starting point from which to try and answer the fundamental question could firstly be summarised in a question which borrows slightly from Reyner Banham: Nordic architecture: ethic or aesthetic? And then is there a typology which exemplifies this notion of a Nordic architecture? These two questions will therefore be used to try and answer the original question and title of this paper. Nordic Architecture: Ethic or Aesthetic? Is there really a common Nordic approach to architecture that can be defined? I would certainly argue each country has its own separate national identity in relation to architecture, but is there a common link which is only experienced within the Nordic countries? National identity is being lost in many countries with the continued building of rather generic commercial architecture and this makes it harder to try to find and quantify a Nordic architecture. Within my own experience of what I perceive as Nordic Architecture, certainly in the North of Norway, which luckily has not yet been completely engulfed by generic commercial architecture, there are definitely to my mind some common occurrences which could perhaps help to define what Nordic Architecture is, if indeed it exists (although this could simply be seen as a Norwegian/ Northern Scandinavian regionalism). There is definitely a visual identity that I would associate, perhaps wrongly, with the phrase Nordic Architecture relating to sensitivity to surroundings and the use of local natural materials. This aesthetic I feel is informed by an underlying ethic, or set of principals which to my mind would define Nordic Architecture. It is not just a use of Natural local materials but rather a truth to materiality regardless of the materials used which I feel defines partly Nordic Architecture. In order to try and fully answer the question is there a Nordic architecture one must surely address the seemingly commonly held view that Nordic architecture is about a connection or relationship with nature. Whilst it would be perhaps too simplistic to define Nordic Architecture solely in this way, it would also be wrong to completely dismiss this notion. There was clearly a historic association with nature exemplified within Norse mythology / Norse Paganism, which still has an influence today and I feel within the Nordic Countries

and their architecture there remains a reverence of nature. Many of the buildings which I perceive to be Nordic have a great deal of emphasis on the relationship between man and his surroundings, this occurs on several levels, through materiality which often reflects or almost always respects the natural surroundings, through the building sitting sensitively within its surroundings and through a relationship between the internal spaces created and the external site. A minimal or understated interior which is often focused on the view outwards and bringing the surroundings into the building whilst preserving its internal functions, is perhaps one of the first things I noticed about architecture within Scandinavia, and is perhaps one of Nordic architectures best characteristics. Is there a typology which exemplifies this? As it is so hard to define Nordic architecture and ultimately answer the question as to whether it exists or not, perhaps the best way in which I can try to quantify and represent my idea of a Nordic architecture as set out above, is through a typology which I would describe as uniquely Nordic. One typology which I feel could perhaps be described as Nordic or at least Northern Nordic, is the cabin/ secondary house in nature. Whilst this once again would seem to tie the notion of there being a Nordic architecture back to nature, this seems almost unavoidable. It seems to be very common to either own or at the very least have access to one of these cabins/ houses in the wilderness or by a lake or in the mountains. From what I have read and from my firsthand knowledge these would certainly seem to be prolific across Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as being present in Iceland. I am unsure about their occurrence within Denmark as I was unable to find much information pertaining to this and have as yet never visited Denmark. I do not know of anywhere else in the world where there is such an occurrence of this type of structure, and it is perhaps an exclusively Nordic Typology due to the unique Scandinavian climate and natural landscape. There are many good examples of contemporary interpretations of this typology, which I feel exemplify the characteristics i have mentioned prevoiusly which I would associate with a Nordic architecture. I will now show two such examples one from Sweden and one from Finland which I think justify my explanation of what a Nordic Architecture is. Firstly Lakeside House by NOW Architecture + Urbanism, situated in Salmaa, in the Finnish Lake District (Appendix I) and secondly, Tree Hotel by Tham Videgard Arkitekter, situated in Lulea, Sweden (Appendix II).

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Conclusion In conclusion I feel that given the global nature of architecture and the way in which ideas and styles have been shared across many countries, it is very difficult to try and answer the question: Is there a Nordic Architecture, and if so what are its characteristics? An important factor which has reduced my ability to definitively answer the question and perhaps influenced my answer in a certain direction is my limited firsthand experience and knowledge of the Nordic countries and their architecture. Any conclusions or ideas I can draw in relation to the question are almost certainly mainly based on my first hand experience of the North of Norway which I have visited many times, and my limited experiences of southern Norway and Sweden. I am almost certain that over time as my knowledge of the Nordic countries improves and once I have experienced all of them firsthand, I will be much better placed to try and answer this question in a more comprehensive and informed way. I think you could say there is a perception of Nordic architecture in relation to a group of well known Nordic architects and a handful of buildings which are extremely well known and well published, however to definitively say there is a Nordic architecture which is more than this is much more difficult to justify, having not visited all the Nordic counties, my experience of their architecture is limited to what I have seen firsthand in Norway and Sweden and what I am able to read about the other countries in books, I feel that if there is a Nordic architecture then it would be evident in the work of most of the architects within these countries and not just limited to the well known, well published ones. As I have not yet experienced all the Nordic countries I feel I cannot truly answer this question either way given my limited experience of the architecture within. However I do have a view of what my current perception of Nordic architecture is, namely; a truth to materiality, architecture which is sensitive to and often secondary to its surroundings, a relationship between human scale, materiality and context, which I feel is not found in many other places, a minimal or understated interior which is often focused on the view outwards and bringing the surroundings into the building whilst preserving its internal functions. These Characteristics can be seen to occur within the cabin/second house in nature which I feel is a uniquely Nordic Typology and therefore an example of what I currently perceive to be Nordic Architecture.

Lakeside House Salmaa, Finland Architect: NOW Architecture + Urbanism

__________________________________________

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Tree Hotel Harads, Sweden Architect: Tham & Videg책rd Arkitekter

__________________________________________

_____________

Bibliography: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Martin Keiding, 2010, New Single-Family Houses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Made By Nordic Architects, The Danish Architectural Press Tomas Lauri, 2009, Tham & Videgard Arkitekter, Stockholm, Arvinius Forlag AB Reyner Banham, 1966, The New Brutalism: Ethic or Aesthetic, London, The Architectural Press Helena Mattsson and Sven-Olov Wallenstein, 2010, Swedish Modernism: Architecture, Consumption and the Welfare State, London, Black Dog Publishing Nina Berre, 2011, Contemporary Norwegian Architecture #7], Oslo, The National museum of Art Architecture And Design

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Kiruna Masterplan

_____________________________

The municipality of Kiruna has a clear political will to firmly hold on to and improve Hjalmar LundbohmÂ´s vision of Kiruna as a model city. The founder of Kiruna wanted to build a modern community adapted to the environment, the people and the special climate of Kiruna. The masterplan aspires to this idea and attempts to deal with these unique conditions which exist within Kiruna. The New City Centre is positioned to the East of the Old City and is enclosed on its limits by existing and proposed infrastructure such as the repositioned E10 motorway. The two buildings from the old City Centre which are to be moved to the new proposed one are significant buildings to the City and take position as such. Both are in elevated positions within the masterplan and act as visual markers which the citizens of Kiruna can readily identify. The positioning of these two buildings is an attempt to begin to create a context for the new city. Through an analysis of the existing city, it was possible to identify and retain its character, adapting successful ideas and repairing those which are less successful. A rationalisation of the existing City Centre has been proposed and the masterplan has been formed around two axes which intersect each other, the green route and the high street. These two axes will be the beginning of the new city, built first, linking the two repositioned buildings and being the points from which the new city will grow.

Kiruna Masterplan

36 222

37 148

30 190

230

272

24 157 136 164 140

22 194

48 135

42 196

69 128 0

24 126 30

13 136 157

30 160

201 12

39 23

7 397

119 9 0

60 3

20 11

270

51 12

109 23

120 28

0 0

136 11 7

89 7 79

3 14

150 181 145

41 109 117

10 203 337 339

94 221

31 212 190 206 262

128 26

36 160

0 0

0 12 0

1 0 0

26 0

24 116 150 368 170 178 153

0 7

26 171

78 171

143 169

10 16

0 0

3 0

0 0

151 73 126 432 307 168

0 0

40 62

12 12

0 0

7 26

47 44

83 0

25 0

4 2

2144 4946

Low: 0 - 30 pers / ha (64%) Medium: 30 - 100 pers / ha (31%) High: 250+ pers / ha (5%)

Comparison of Densities: Old City Centre / New City Centre

7090

Total Masterplan provision (+10%)

Gallery Town Hall Fire Station Police Station Commercial Library University School Hotel Office Sports Facilities Church Hospital

Comparison of Ground Floor Uses: Old City Centre / New City Centre

Residential Community Transport Recreational

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Gallery Town Hall Fire Station Police Station Commercial Library University School Hotel Office Sports Facilities Church Hospital Residential Community

Ground Floor Uses - New City Centre

Transport Recreational

Iron Ore Mine Green Route Major Vehicular Route E10 Motorway Repositioned E10 Virgin Nature Space Industry Airport Ski Centre Cable-Car Golf Club Tourism Economy Diversification

Kiruna as Proposed - 2050

Kiruna Masterplan

Future Expansion: Connection with remnants of Old City / Post-industrial land reclamation

City Centre Vehicular Axis

Green Route Axis

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Main Pedestrian Axis: City Hall / Public Square / High Street / Public Green Spaces

+ oC

- oC

North-Eastern Wind Protective Edge

Kiruna Masterplan

Cable-car Axis: Airport / New City Centre / Remnants of Old City / / Ski Centre

200m 100 50 10

KIRUNA MASTERPLAN

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Structure Relocation

_____________________________

These two buildings are of a great cultural and historical significance and are the embodiment of the city of Kiruna within architecture, they are representative of the people and culture, and are readily identifiable nationally and internationally as being in Kiruna, therefore their movement is justified. These buildings represent the important musical and artistic culture within Kiruna and are the focal points of the community, the City Hall even being nicknamed ‘Kiruna’s Living room’, such is the citizens’ connection with it. There are many historical precedents for the type of structure relocation which is proposed in Kiruna for the two main cultural buildings. Examples include:

Copenhagen Airport Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal In September 1999, the terminal at Copenhagen airport, designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen and built in 1939, was moved whole in one night in order to make way for the expansion of the airport. This is currently the largest relocation project which has taken place of a building as a whole structure within Europe. Moving the 2,600-ton, 110-metre-long, 30-metre-wide building meant setting up 50 steel reinforcing structures supported by connected flatbed trucks (744 wheels) with reciprocal height adjustment. The total distance the building moved was 3.8 Km. parts of the building which were worth preserving and were in danger of being damaged in the move were removed from the structure and stored in climatically controlled containers until they were to be restored to the newly relocated structure.

Heuersdorf Church, Heuersdorf , Germany The entire stone church was lifted 1.6 metres by hydraulic lifts and moved whole, on hydraulic flatbed trucks, 12km (7.5 miles) away from its original home in the German village of Heuersdorf to the nearby village of Borna in 2004. The 660-tonne church, built 750 years ago, was moved so that large amounts of lignite deposits underneath the ground on which it originally stood could be mined. The residents of Heuersdorf were also relocated to make way for the mine, after the village’s 59 inhabitants earlier lost a legal battle to prevent the Mibrag Company from expanding its mine. The firm agreed to move the church in order to secure the right to mine under the village, near the city of Leipzig in what used to be East Germany. Marble Arch, London London’s’ famous monument was originally the entrance to Entrance to Buckingham palace, however the arch was dismantled in 1850 when the new east range of Buckingham Palace was constructed, closing in the courtyard. It was rebuilt by Thomas Cubitt as a ceremonial entrance to the northeast corner of Hyde Park at Cumberland Gate. The reconstruction was completed in March 1851.

Structure Relocation

_____________ A. Marble Arch, London B. Copenhagen Airport Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal C. Heuersdorf Church, Heuersdorf , Germany

Process of Relocating the Church of Kiruna

Process of Relocating the City Hall

Because of the nature of the construction of the church, a timber frame clad in individual heartwood staves, it is the easier of the two buildings to move. Many of the stave churches on Norway and Sweden, upon which the design of this church was based, have been relocated during their life cycle and this is a relatively tried and tested process. It will be catalogued and then taken apart piece by piece, with these pieces being numbered and then reconstructed on its new site from the catalogue of numbered drawings which will be produced at the start of the process. Whilst the process of cataloguing, dismantling, moving and reassembling the church is a much safer and easier move, it is none the less extremely time consuming. Because of the time the movement of the church will take, there will be significant disruption to its congregation and other users and as such, temporary facilities will have to be found in order for them to be able to continue with the normal functions of the church.

The movement of the City Hall is a much more complex and potentially unstable operation, the building would need to be cut into 6 separate pieces which would have to be carefully braced and then separated. The building pieces would comprise the tower-bell, the roof then the rest of the building cut into 4 pieces which would be cut from underneath at ground level, which would preserve the main functions of the building whilst removing the plinth set into the sloping site, containing archives and parking, which would then be replaced on the new site by a new construction. A temporary steel framework would be placed under the structure in order to replace the foundations on which it sits and to stabilise the whole structure. A network of hydraulic jacks would then be used to elevate the structure. Because of the significant weight of the Kiruna city hall, it is likely to be moved in a way similar to the Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal, on hydraulic flatbed trucks, consisting of trailers coupled together controlled by a system which allows each wheel to be moved individually in order for the move to be as controlled as possible. This would happen once the City Hall was raised to an appropriate height from ground level and would then be transported to its new site on these flatbed trucks and then lowered onto its new foundations by reversing the process as stated above. In order to move these large pieces of building, a temporary road would have to be built which is very level and tens of metres wide, this is an operation of a grand nature, and because of the limited speed at which such a structure can be moved the whole process would take a significant time to complete. The time frame required for such a move and the temporary infrastructure which would need to be in place for this move means that there would be a great deal of disruption to the residents of Kiruna as well as to the services which are based within the city hall which would have to be temporarily relocated whilst the move of the building and construction of any new elements takes place.

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Church of Kiruna

_____________________________

Kiruna church built in 1912 and designed by Gustaf Wickman, is an important building both locally and nationally whose movement is inevitable. Because of this cultural significance, it would be inappropriate to modify it in any significant way when it is moved. Positioned prominently within the new masterplan for maximum visibility; it can be seen when entering the new city centre from the remnants of the old City, from the motorway when entering the City and from the cable car when coming from the airport. To become compatible with the architectural principles which we have applied to the planning of the new city centre, the building would have to have added complimentary functionality. The addition under the church is sympathetic without being apologetic, it replaces an important function within the town which is being lost – music performance / production spaces. It conforms to the principles of rethinking typologies and layering functions, and is a re-imagination of the traditional church crypt / vault. The vaulted brick arches of the music performance / production spaces, reflect the character of the underground mine, the existing arches within the Kiruna church and the traditional architecture of church under crofts. By using a variation on the fill of the brick joints it is possible to alter the acoustic properties of the arched brick surface to be more compatible with the internal activities. _________________

‘Landmarks, the point references considered to be external to the observer, are simple physical elements which may vary widely in scale. There seemed to be a tendency for those more familiar with a city to rely increasingly on systems of landmarks for their guides - to enjoy uniqueness and specialization, in place of the continuities used earlier.’ ‘If strategic links in communication (such as museums, libraries or meeting places) are clearly set forth, then those who might otherwise neglect them may be temted to enter.’ Kevin Lynch - The Image of the City (p. 78 / 110)

Church of Kiruna

_____________ A. Kiruna: Music Venues / Recording Studios

Existing, removed by Deformations

Existing retained

North-East Elevation

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Church of Kiruna

Floor Plans

1. Entrance Foyer 2. Auditorium 3. Back of house 4. Artist Lounge 5. Listening / Mixing Room 6. Control Room 7. Live Room 8. Rehearsal Space 9. Secondary Entrance / Escape Exit

-1 FLOOR

A. Zoning: Public / Semi - Public B. Independent usage of vaulted chambers C. Auditorium: Indoor - Outdoor

_____________

1. Vestibule 2. Nave 3. Transcept 4. Chancel 5. Pulpit 6. Vestry 7. Music Room 8. Diagonal Hall 9. Bell Tower

GROUND FLOOR

Front - Old Town / Existing Cementary Back - New City Centre / Green Route

A. Kiruna Church - East-West Axis

_____________

10. Plant Room 11. Outdoor Performance Space 12. Equipment Loading / Back of House Entrance 13. External Store

B. Church positioning within the New City Centre

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

20 mm double-ply hardwood flooring 65 mm screed over under floor heating pipes 50 mm foil backed EPS thermal insulation 200 mm Reinforced Concrete Floor Slab Bituminous sealing layer 50 mm EPS insulation 100 mm gravel

2. Floor Construction:

D. Partially filled joints for acoustic reasons E. Vaults / Church Plinth exploded axonometric

_____________

A. Hand-made Red Brick B. Hardwood Flooring C. Reinforced Concrete

20 mm double-ply hardwood flooring Vapour barrier 50 mm EPS impact sound insulation 25 x 25 mm battens, 10 mm plywood support 100 mm timber joists on Reinforced concrete structure with inset Ă&#x2DC; 400 mm servicing voids 500 mm reinforced concrete arches 65 mm brick as permanent shuttering, joints partially filled for acoustic reasons LED lights

_____________

1. Vaults / Church Plinth

_____________

CONTROL ROOM INTERNAL VIEW

Detailed Section

Housing for Seniors

_____________________________

Kiruna has an ageing population, and there is currently a shortage of certain types of housing, particularly Housing for Seniors. The municipality is beginning to address this issue by commissioning housing of this nature and so this was an appropriate typology for the first new blocks to be built within the New City Centre and to test and prove the drafted masterplan. The Senior Housing Scheme comprises two blocks, linked at first floor level, within the proposed new city centre close to the relocated church of Kiruna. A strong contextual approach to the building as a whole has been developed, where the use of timber cladding has been chosen as a consistent building material to emphasize the character of the site and to visually link the two separate blocks through a common envelope. The materials are established and long term and require little maintenance externally. Both blocks of housing are on plinths which link them to the recreational green route, deals with the change of level within the site and which contain harmonious commercial functions: nursery, offices, retail and gym, which as well as being revenue generators can serve to enhance the lives of the residents. Also contained within this plinth level is all the back of house functions, refuse storage, parking, plant rooms and delivery entrance. The commercial and back of house functions within the plinth on which the housing sits are delineated through their materiality being clad in precast concrete elements, which lends the building visual weight and density and helps root it to the site giving it a sense of permanency. The massing of both blocks has bee n sculpted in order to minimize overshadowing, maximize southerly aspects and to maximize views, towards the repositioned Church of Kiruna, proposed Public Square and the existing Green Route. A direct relationship to the landscape has been achieved through the provision of both private and shared external spaces and internal areas looking outwards. This is an important feature of the overall scheme, as being housing designed for seniors; it serves to help retain a level of mobility and activity within the direct vicinity of your apartment. All apartments have some sort of external private space, either winter-garden or balcony depending on aspect of apartment. This allows residents the ability to have a connection with outside of their apartment no matter what their level of mobility, and the ones with winter-gardens no matter what the weather. These semi-external areas are accessible from main living spaces and are all in front of bedrooms, this means that in the summer when there is 24 hour daylight, some degree of shade is created by this buffer zone of the winter-garden. It also means that if someone happens to be bedridden they can still have a connection to outside and nature as these external spaces are all directly accessible from bedroom spaces as well as providing a view. Also along the edge of the communal space fronting onto public/ shared courtyard there are small outset spaces provided to grow plants/flowers etc, as these are internal they can 95

Housing for Seniors

be used all year round, providing some greenery and living plants even in the darkest of winter. This continuous contact and connection with nature is important as it has been proven to enhance health and general well being. The economic sustainability of a housing scheme of this size and nature is one of the most important factors to analyze and design to. Within the overall design various differing layers of functions and uses have been incorporated, which could serve to improve the fiscal viability of the scheme through its life cycle. Furthermore, in order to generate immediate capital for the project, two high-end penthouse apartments with commanding views over the new city centre and the church of Kiruna have been incorporated into the design (to be sold off before the construction of the apartments begins). Moreover, to generate continued revenue over the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifetime, varying commercial functions into the ground floor plinth of the scheme as well as taking an approach of standardization within our design. By achieving some level of standardization it would be possible to reduce the overall cost of such a project without having any impact on its functionality. When considering the social sustainability of an apartment complex of this nature, following provisions have made are vital to its success; a mix of apartment types (single/ large double/small double) which will help to generate a social mix of tenants, possible a mixed tenure within the development, some rented, some privately owned which would further enhance the social mix within the complex, internal corridors designed as a street with inset niches which become meeting points and further functional meeting points occur off of vertical circulation cores as well as a provision of communal facilities within the block which can be used by the community at large. The following ecological considerations have been incorporated into the design; the proscribed levels of required parking (1:1) are contained at ground floor level within the plinth, thus reducing the overall footprint of scheme and its environmental impact, soil moved from digging the buildings foundations would be retained and reused on site to widen green route at points and to level it with the first floor courtyards, both blocks of apartments would be highly insulated and of an airtight construction, reducing their energy demands and thus the environmental impact of the building over its lifecycle. When considering the life cycle of housing and the fact that in the future there is a very real possibility of seniors needing to be provided with living assistance, thus the apartment layouts and zoning of the apartments have been tailored in such a way as to be as flexible as possible without compromising the primary functions of spaces. Individual apartment layouts have been zoned in such a way that the route from bedrooms to the toilet/bathroom is the shortest and most convenient route possible. Furthermore, one can enter both the bedroom and bathroom spaces without

having to directly enter the living space, thus allowing residents to have help provided to them within their home without compromising their privacy. Larger 2 bedroom apartments have a separate access to one of the bedrooms from the main circulation, as well as a direct access between the bedroom and bathroom. Additionally all rooms are fully accessible with widened doors and an apartment layout with the minimum possible number of turns required in order to negotiate between spaces. A combination of both coloured doors and individual inset niches have been proscribed within the design in order to create individual visual markers within the corridor like streets and thus make identification of individual apartments easier for the occupants.

_____________

Access corridors glare reduction (S - Southern light / N - Northern light / D - Diffused Light)

_____________

A. Double sided ‘street-like’ corridor with inset niches

B _____________

B. Single sided ‘street-like’ corridor with inset niches

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Housing for Seniors

Floor Plans

1. Vertical circulation cores with seating spaces 2. Apartments 3. Street like corridor with inset niches

THIRD FLOOR

A. Massing - minimise overshadowing / maximise southerly aspects B. Window shutters - back insulation / sun blackout / colours relating to existing town

_____________

1. 2 x Penthouse apartments with own separate vertical circulation cores 2. Lobby / Study / Work room 3. Bedroom 4. Master bedroom 5. Bathroom 6. Kitchen / Dining 7. Living Room 8. External Terrace 9. Built-in barbecue / Smoke room 10. Eaves storage

FOURTH FLOOR

A. Penthouse Apartment - Commanding views / Roof holding snow B. Revenue generator

_____________

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

Floor Plans

1. Glazed walkway(s) linking blocks 2. Flexible communal event / activity space / day-care centre 3. Inhabited wall dividing / defining communal space 4. Kitchen 5. Communal dining room / café space 6. Communal residents living room 7. Semi-public courtyard open to green route 8. Private resident’s courtyard 9. Staff room / changing facilities

FIRST FLOOR

A. Hard / Soft Landscape B. Mobility within the complex C. Nursery - Communal living room visual link

_____________

1. Balcony overlooking double height communal living room / Church of Kiruna 2. Communal terrace overlooking semi- public courtyard / Church of Kiruna 3. Vertical circulation cores with seating spaces 4. Entry to communal terrace / Equipment storage 5. Apartments 6. Street like corridor with inset niches

SECOND FLOOR

D. Private Courtyard - Gym - Public Square F. Importance of green spaces / visual link cultivation in E. Green Route - Semi-Public Courtyard - relation to the Flexible Space visual link reduction of negatively toned emotions and improvements in human well-being 20. Gym reception / staff room 10. Public toilets 21. Resident’s entrance to gym 11. Entrance threshold reception 12. Wet room with draught lobby 22. Resident’s reading room 13. Outdoor activity storage overlooking 14. Cleaners store public square 15. Horticulture areas 23. Street like corridor with inset 16. External storage niches 17. Fire escape 18. Link form private courtyard to green 24. Apartments route 25. Guest Apartments 19. Gym

A. Balcony - Church of Kiruna visual link B. Access corridors glare reduction (S - Southern light / N - Northern light / D - Diffused Light)

_____________

Housing for Seniors

Floor Plans

1. Kindergarten 2. Entrance to gym ( shared vertical circulation with housing) 3. Parking 4. Plant room / Electrical Sub-station 5. Binstores 6. Nursery office 7. Nursery lunch room ( linked with elderly communal kitchen above)

GROUND FLOOR

8. Service lift 9. Parking entrance / exit 10. Housing foyer / reception / main entrance 11. Housing office 12. Newsagents / convenience store 13. Retail unit 14. Vertical circulation core (housing) x 2 15. Office Space - rental

A. Ground Floor commercial uses / Housing foyers B. Back of house / Delivery / Car parking C. On-site spoil reused as infill

_____________

Section BB

Section AA

Nordic Exodus: Moving Kiruna

100

Zoning diagram 1:

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden

Separation of private and work space

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden 8. Study / second bedroom 9. Secondary entrance / storage 10. Inset balcony

3 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT + SEPERATE ENTRANCE / STORAGE (80 m2 + 7 m2 winter garden + 6 m2 inset balcony )

_____________

2 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT (46 m2 + 7 m2 balcony)

_____________

3 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT + SEPERATE ENTRANCE / STORAGE (73 m2 + 13 m2 winter garden)

_____________

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden 8. Study / second bedroom

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette 7. Winter garden

2 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT (53 m2 + 7 m2 winter garden)

_____________

3 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT (72 m2 + 7 m2 winter garden)

_____________

2 ROOM + KITCHEN APARTMENT (60 m2 + 8 m2 winter garden)

_____________

A. Flexible areas within the apartment B. Separation of private, work and shared space

Zoning diagram 2:

0,5

1,5

Floor Plans

C. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche - seating space (1) D. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche - equipment storage (1) E. Full height storage space (3) (upper - coat hanger / bottom - equipment)

_____________

1. Street-like internal corridor with inset niche 2. Apartment entrance 3. Storage space 4. Bathroom 5. Bedroom 6. Living space with kitchenette / bedroom

GUEST APARTMENT (60 m2 )

_____________

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Housing for Seniors Section CC

South-East Elevation

North-West Elevation

North-East Elevation

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PENTHOUSE APARTMENT INTERNAL VIEW

INTERNAL VIEW OF DOUBLE HEIGHT COMMUNAL SPACE LOOKING TORWARDS CHURCH OF KIRUNA

Window System with thermally divided aluminium sections and Triple glazing (0.60 W/m2K)

4. Glazing:

15 mm double-ply hardwood flooring 65 mm screed over under floor heating pipes 20 mm EPS impact sound insulation 50 mm EPS thermal insulation 300 mm Reinforced Concrete Floor Slab 400mm Servicing Void with 20 mm EPS impact sound insulation 10 mm Gypsum Plasterboard ceiling finish

3. Floor Construction:

2 x 20 mm Sawn Larch Boarding (Board on board vertical cladding) 25 mm battens 25 mm counter battens UV Resistant wind diffusing building paper 300 mm EPS thermal insulation between timber studs with thermal break 10 mm Gypsum Plaster board

2. Faรงade construction:

2 mm zinc sheeting Bituminous vapour barrier 50 mm impact sound insulation 10 mm plywood 50 mm thermal insulation 10 mm plywood 60x500 mm I-Joists with 350 mm thermal insulation / servicing infill 10 mm plywood 115 mm thermal insulation 15 mm gypsum plasterboard finish Inset halogen spotlights

1. Roof Construction:

E. Snow / Climate / Roof / View studies F. Materiality of blocks relates to vernacular (Church of Kiruna / Existing residential) _____________

_____________

A. Zinc sheeting B. Timber shingles C. Timber boarding D. Precast Concrete Cladding

_____________

Detailed Section

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Housing for Seniors VIEW SHOWING DOUBLE HEIGHT COMMUNAL SPACE OVERLOOKING KINDERGARTEN AND GREEN ROUTE

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SEMI-PUBLIC COURTYARD VIEW FACING NORTH

Kiruna City Hall

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Kiruna City Hall, designed by Artur Von Schmalensee, and built in 1962, is an important building both functionally and symbolically to the people of Kiruna. It was designed to be open and to facilitate the transparency of democracy. This relocation of the City Hall retains its character and functions whilst adding to them and enhancing them. By elevating the City Hall, it conveys that the building has been moved and reinforces that it has not always been in place, but in fact has been relocated. Furthermore this serves to facilitate the addition of other functions below the City hall. The City has a historic and continuing relationship with art, which we have extended to add functionality and enhance the existing City Hall, the city having a large art collection of over 2000 pieces, which includes works by Anders Zorn, John Bauer and Edvard Munch.

_____________ A. City Hall positioning as termination of High Street / Clock Tower as marker / Gallery Entrance as vista B. Proportions od Adjusted City Hall C. Old / New City Centre High Streets Comparison

The City Hall as existing contained space for only a small amount of this work to be exhibited, and as the collection is continually growing due to City commissioning an artist to work there and produce works for the city every year, it was appropriate to allow the provision of spaces to both exhibit this collection and also to allow those who enter the new City Hall and gallery to be able to view the process of art being created.

_____________ External Views Studies: 1. Ground Floor Main Hall Through View Current - Iron Ore Mine / Proposed - Virgin Nature 2. First Floor City Chambers Current - Old Town / Proposed - Old Town

The repositioned and extended City Hall, takes a prominent position within the new masterplan for Kirunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s City Centre, once again being the termination of the high street as it was in the Old City, whilst no longer being disconnected.

3. Top Floor Deck / Gallery Current - Iron Ore Mine / Proposed - Landscape / Future Recreational Facilities

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Kiruna City Hall

Current View

Proposed View

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Floor Plans

1. Gallery Cafe / Shop 2. Kitchen 3. Information / Tickets Sale 4. Cloak room 5. Service link to Archive / Escape Route 6. Link to Office Block / Escape Route 7. Gallery 8. Storage 9. Library - Basement Level - Archives

- 1 FLOOR

11. Office Block - Basement Level 12. Plant Room Underneath

C. Artist Workshop - Public Interaction

A. Gallety Escape Routes / City Hall Service Link to Archive B. View / Light funnels at Public Square Level

_____________

1. Ground Floor Gallery / Proposed City Hall Lobby 2. Artist Workshop 3. City Hall / Gallery Vertical Circulation 4. View / Light Funnel 5. Library 6. Office Block 7. Proposed Green Route 8. Proposed Public Square 9. Proposed High Street

GROUND FLOOR

A. City Hall / Gallery Lobby B. City Hall positioning within the New City Centre

_____________

5 4

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20 x 150 mm untreated larch boarding (80 mm cavity) fixed on 80 x 40 x 5 mm galvanized steel SHS fixed to steel structure moisture diffusing sheet 300 mm EPS thermal insulation LED downlights

2. Soffit Construction:

215 x 102.5 x 65 mm City Hall reclaimed brick - flemish bond, 10 mm colour matching mortar continuation of 30 mm cavity moisture diffusing sheet 300 mm EPS thermal insulation fixed on varied extruded aluminium profiles; fixed to steel structure Bottom: 200 x 150 x 115 mm welded steel sheet bracket angle / flashing

1. Façade construction

_____________

8 mm toughened glass wearing layer with non-slip grid 30 mm opaque laminated safety glass restraining breakage fixed on 80 x 80 x 10 mm steel angle fixed to 180 x 100 x 5 mm steel SHS

5. Walk-on Glazing Construction:

Secondary: 610 x 305 mm UB 238

Primary: 1400 x 305 mm UB 487 with Ø 675 mm web openings 1400 x 700 mm / 1400 x 1400 mm (filleted cornered) Insitu cast steel reinforced concrete columns

4. Superstructure

AGC - Stopray Safir glass 6 mm / 12 mm Low-E fill / 6 mm 0.9 W/(m²K) (used on Snohetta’s Oslo Opera House) / load -bearing linear adhesive fixing 2 x 42 mm safety glass mullions with 2 x 140 / 30 mm hidden steel plates attached to structural steel truss / concrete floor slab

3. Curtain Wall Construction:

REPOSITIONED KIRUNA TOWN HALL - PUBLIC SQUARE VIEW

A. City Hall reclaimed hand-made Dutch bricks B. Fair Faced Concrete C. Untreated Larch boarding D. Roachbed Portland Stone E. Granite Sets

_____________

50 mm Roachbed Portland Stone flags laid in 40 mm bed of mortar Polythene separation layer 50 mm EPS impact sound insulation 1400 mm reinforced concrete hollow core floor slab

7. Floor Construction

30 mm laminated safety with aluminium fixing attached to 300 mm reinforced concrete with 75 mm EPS thermal break; ploythene separation layer 12.5 mm gypsum board with matt white paint finish on 25 x 25 mm timber battens

6. Light / Viewing Cone:

Detailed Section

We would like to express our gratitude to the following people without whose help we would not be able to complete this Thesis Project. Firstly, our Studio Tutors - David Page & David Reat at University of Strathclyde and Professor Inga Malmqvist, Susanne Clase, Bjรถrn Gross at Chalmers University of Technology, who supported us thoughout this Thesis with their passion and knowledge, whilst allowing us the room to work in our own way. We would also like to thank Michael Angus, Charlie Brown and Derek Gillan for their help and support.

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Acknowledgments

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