Start semester
60 518 Fjord Allmenningen
Open for students in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Mandatory first semester course for Master of Landscape Architecture.
Basic knowledge in architecture, urbanism and landscape.
The harbor area of Oslo has during the last year’s has gone through a strong phase of transformation. This includes all from important infrastructural changes as the E18, that was put in tunnel, to new building projects as Aker Brygge, Tjuvholmen, Barcode, Sørenga, the Opera etc. These projects have taken form in a relatively short period of time in respect to the city’s history and in the municipalities plan for “the Fjord City” there are still remaining several parts to be realized.
In this course we are going to work with area between the Central station, Kvadraturen, the Fjord, the Opera and Barcode /Bjørvika . Fjord Almenningen
The challenges lies in the creation of a place specific project that links Oslo with its waterfront. The goal is to create a landscape park that establishes a continuous and linked open, high quality space structure. As the new center park and plaza in Oslo
The project includes several temporalities from temporal interventions to more long-term design of the landscape. The interaction between the temporal and the constant in the urban environment is part of the project.
The course is divided into three main parts:
- Definition of the open space structure is fundamental, in order to link the existing urban tissue and the new areas as well as to integrate the harbor promenade.
- Definition of program and planning of temporal functions and activities. How is it possible to create maximal functionality by a minimum investment, and a clever use of what is already to be found on site?
- Definition of the long-term landscape project is one of the main focuses of the course.
The projects that the students develop are meant to take part in the public debate and show; which are the qualities that are important in a sustainable city? The course will include how to create a strategic document that will be able to communicate to the towns’ technicians, politicians and users. Therefore it is of importance that the material produced in the course is of high quality.
Knowledge:
The course will provide the students with the experience of working on the edge, where the city meets the sea, close to the fjord and discover and achieve proficiency in establishing promenades and parks in an urban structure. The course will work with the man-made and nature, in order to provide the city with a sustainable and recreational dimension. The aim is to design the city where water and land meet and analyze it´s trace deep in the city, as well as far out in the bay.
Skills:
The course is project based and will provide the student with a spatial understanding of the work of several scales, from scale 1: 10,000 to 1: 1. In the transition between water and landscape, both design and materiality will be a part of the work. Once completed the course the student should have acquired a working-method and a projecting experience in a landscape based project.
General competence:
Understanding for the climatic circumstances in this case at the waterfront in Oslo and how that informs the design of a park-project.
A basic knowledge of vegetation and an understanding of the logics of the landscape and its changes through the different seasons.
- The course is introduced with a fieldwork where the students make a mapping and create a common knowledge base.
- A strategy for an open space structure will be then established. This work is made in groups.
- Workshops are organized thematically in order to highlight important phases of the project. In the first workshop the theme is the temporal urban space.
- The design of the long-term landscape project is the course's main focus. The course is structured as a continuous projecting process where different phases are thematically defined and emphasized with theoretical lectures in order to contribute to the development of the project.
- Working models are essential for this course
-The Landscape project will respond to the seasonal variations and show how it changes over time.
-The experience from working with the site will be contrasted to analysis of international reference projects. What should a park landscape provide to the city? What can it offer to its users?
-Within the course, study trips are arranged in the Oslo area as well as internationally.
| Mandatory coursework | Courseworks required | Presence required | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision talks | Not required | Regular project reviews, with the teachers. | |
| Excursions | Not required | Barcelona or Sydney |
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project assignment | Group | Pass / fail | The main projects will be worked out in small teams (2-3 persons). Shorter exercises are to be developed individually. The considerations for the marking is: -The idea basis of the project. -The realization of the project from idea to form. -The communication of the project. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | It is recommended that all work be done in the studio on a daily basis. |
| Lectures | It is recommended that all work be done in the studio on a daily basis. |
| Workshops | It is recommended that all work be done in the studio on a daily basis. |
| Individual supervision | Regular project reviews, with the teachers. |
| Evaluation (mid term) | Presentation in public |