Start semester
40 320 The Quiet Rise of Low Rise in Oslo: Archival and Community studies of Hill Housing and the Vernacular from 1960-80
Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:
The Quiet Rise of Low Rise in Oslo: Archival and Community studies of Hill Housing and the Vernacular from 1960-80
Credits:
6
Course code:
40 320
Level of study:
Master
Teaching semester:
2021 Autumn
Assessment semester:
2021 Autumn
Language of instruction:
English
Year:
2021
Maximum number of students:
15
Person in charge
Tom Davies
Required prerequisite knowledge
Qualifications: Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS) Open for students across AHO
Course content
Øvre Ullern Terrace designed by Oslo house builder Selvaag with architects Anne Tinne and Mogens Kielland Friis, in the early ‘60s marks the outset of a little studied hill-housing tradition in Oslo. Whilst Selvaag developed the stepped terraced block into its staple housing type up until the housing crash of the late ‘80s and range of individual architects appropriated the Low Rise Hill-housing typology in different ways to create a variety of new and interesting schemes across Oslo. Their scattered location, the various architects involved (Per Bøhn, Knut Sohøel, Finn Liseth, to name a few) have prompted little study of these projects or those who produced them. Building on the current focus on Low Rise Hill housing in the UK and Europe students on the course will learn about and carry out archival research and site-studies of the known projects and look for yet unidentified examples from the period. The insights this provides into the community focused design of these schemes will then be developed through interview with surviving architects/relatives and the members of the communities in their individual projects to understand how their design has translated into a place to live.
Learning outcome
The course is taught by Tom Davies drawing on his research on community and heritage and post-war housing and its communities. The students will work in groups producing an online/real project exhibition and will gain the following skills/insights;
Knowledge -
Knowledge of Low Rise High Density housing in Oslo, a developing field which has seen little study hitherto.
Post-war housing and architecture
Community Focused design in architecture
Current heritage and architectural history practice for post-war buildings
Knowledge of community engagement and participation methods
Knowledge of housing models and residential history in Oslo (OBOS, USBL etc.)
Skills and Competence_
Archival practice and Site-survey
Archiving,
Curation and Primary and Secondary Source analysis
Interview and discussion techniques • Engagement and participation with communities
Filling an important gap in the Norwegian Architectural History Record
Working and learning activities
The course will be taught on-site - visiting each of the projects the students will work on, where many of the lectures/talks will be held. The students will work in pairs on a project each - researching the history of the housing project through online and archival resources (National Museum etc.) and contacting and talking to members of the residents committee for their project to learn about community history etc. The opening part of the course will comprise an exercise collating viable projects and allocating them to the student pairs for research/engagement. Assessment will comprise and illustrated essay (photos and drawings) by each pair. This work will be exhibited online on AHO's pages and potentially also submitted to Wikipedia to add or develop entries for the housing projects concerned.
Curriculum
Building on the current focus on Low Rise Hill housing in the UK and Europe students on the course will learn about and carry out archival research and site-studies of the known projects and look for yet unidentified examples from the period. The insights this provides into the community focused design of these schemes will then be developed through interview with surviving architects/relatives and the members of the communities in their individual projects to understand how their design has translated into a place to live.
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project assignment | Individual | Pass / fail |