6.2. Our suggestions for Mellamon

For our solutions for Mellamon, there was a decision made to focus on the opportunities that comes with developing a new project. As Mellamon was recently moved into by residents there are still many traits to figure out, both in terms of the physical space and how the neighborhood should work. For the following solutions the focus was on creating good quality meeting spaces that encourage interaction and connection between people in order to increase the chances of excellent participation over time. We divided into three zones: outside, inside and basement.

Outside

We started projecting the needs into the physical body of the context. Looking into the open area first thing that comes into mind is the lack of boundaries. It is crucial as one of the residents’ desires was the safety of the area specially for children. So, we came up with the idea of using plantation as a border to both provide the sense of security to residents and a boundary of privacy for visitors and those passing by. Since we didn’t want to mask the windows and block the sunlight, which is valuable in Norway, we decided to use bushes and in some parts fruit bushes.

This is related to one other idea of ours which is the community gardens that is taken from Svartlamo(e)n. The goal of this intervention is to bring the Svartlamo(e)n identity to Mellamon and to facilitate the community cohesion. To generate the connection between community members, we came up with the idea of an outdoor alternate shelter including seatings. This will be a shelter because the weather does not always cooperate and calls for this as an essential need. Additionally, this will be an open-air shelter because as mentioned before, sunlight is precious here. Based on the feedback we got from the residents, we decided to locate these interventions in focal points and paths that the residents usually use so it is more likely for the spaces to catch their eyes and be inviting. This will ensure the spaces are used often.

Figure 61: Current Spatial State of Mellamon, Authors For the pavement we suggest painting games on the road as the space needs to be open in case of emergencies. In addition, a permanent outdoor movie screen on the wall of one of the housing buildings with provisional seatings. Another long-term recommendation is to add a make-shift shelter using a sail or a similar fabric. In this picture there is also a suggestion of a mobile outdoor seating with a shelter that could be moved to other places as needed.

To shelter from the roadroad, we suggest using wintergreen bushes and some fruit bushes to create a sense of place and security in addition to prevent some noise. We also suggest a greenhouse that can be used for several purposes. The greenhouse can be made from recycled glass or other materials that allow light to come through. The idea is that the front will open completely and can be used as a stage. In additionaddition, we suggest creating a common mural to have a lively front and facade. The mural can be made by local artists and the different apartments can decide for them selves if they want their balcony to be part of the mural or not. This allows participation of the residents.

Figure 62: Strategic Map of Spatial Interventions, Authors

Figure 64: Outdoor Sheltered Seating, Outdoor Movie Screen and Pavement Painting, Authors

Inside

For one of the indoor common areas, we propose to create a space that connects the inside and the outside. From our previous conversations we heard that there is a need for a place to meet. Therefore, we propose seating along one of the walls with a table that can be expanded to fit more people. We also suggest having a parcel garden outside that can be used for the community kitchen where one there can also be educational practices about sustainable food and cooking. This area is thought to be a place to meet around food and a place where one can do different crafts freely. We also propose a section to be a mini library and reading nook; and for the bedroom to be a cozy space where the lights, chairs and carpets create a cozy atmosphere for games and reading.

For the other communal apartment, the goal is to make a space with several zones for activities. One of the comments from the residents meeting we attended was a wish to have fewer formal meetings and to be able to join activities and other relations throughout their everyday interactions (Mellamon meeting, 2021). For this to be effective it’s important to have good social spaces where the residents feel welcome. The basis for this space is that it should be flexible and suit a diverse set of needs. This also means ensure accessibility to these events and spaces for nonable-bodied people when possible. There should be softer seating in this space; and one of the walls could be chalkboard paint or whiteboard to make room for creativity for all.

A long-term suggestion for both the indoor common spaces is to make sure everyone has access tis to these spaces. This could be possible by changinge the current door in the front to be the main entrance and the door to the hallway to only be accessible with a key from both sides. This will also ensure the safety of the resident when the apartments are utilized by visitors, which was something the residents brought up in their meeting.

Figure 67: Indoor Interventions, Authors

Figure 65: Communal Apartment Current State, Andrea Nilsen Figure 66: Communal Apartment Intervention, Authors

Basement

For the basement we suggest using it for different types of storage. Some of the residents mentioned that they wanted to use the basement for social areas, but in the short term this might be difficult due to necessary escape routes and the requirements for daylight. The suggestions we have are therefore,: To create a library of things (tingotek) where appliances such as sowing machines, kitchen appliances, sports equipment, and tools can be stored, and you can register to loan them for a period of time. This allows for the resident to share their resources and also creates better use for some of the appliances. This will also address one of the comments from the residents meeting where a resident asked if the common fundings could be used to buy a sowing machine (Mellamon meeting, 2021). This comment depicts the need for this kind of space.

After seeing that the washrooms are currently used for bike storage we suggest wall hanging storage to make place for more bikes and possibly also adding a shelf for appliances that could be needed to fix tires including , a pump and similar tools. The common areas upstairs also have a storage of their own in the basement, so this can be used to store extra chairs for meeting and other occasional or seasonal items too.

Figure 68: Basement Interventions, Authors

Figure 69: Basement Intervention, Authors

Figure 70: Basement Current State, Andrea Nilsen