) just shared with us an interesting vertical landscape project, a joint work with norwegian architects
.
The project is located in Holmestrand, Norway, and consists on a
public elevator that connects the old lower part of the town across and
85m high cliff to the newer part of it. The infrastructure acts as an
articulator of multiple activities/programs that make this intervention
a unique urban piece.
It is being presented to the city next month.
Project: Vertical Landscape Urbanism
Client: Holmestrand Municipality
Site: Holmestrand, Norway
Year: 1999, 2002, 2008 -
Architects:
STUDIO hp AS, Oslo (Landscape, Architecture, Urbanism): Hettie Pisters, Ole Møystad
L.E.FT Architects, New York: Makram el Kadi, Ziad Jamaleddine, Naji Moujaes, Karie Titus
Val de Vézère in France forms one the world’s oldest urban systems
of settlement. Through almost 40 000 years a constructed geography has
unfolded in the valley with the Vézère river carving out the meandering
valley in the soft sandstone of the Dordogne area, creating cliffs of
50 – 100 meters with natural caves and shelves. The caves were
inhabited and around them grew small villages. What turns this
landscape corridor into one continuous urban system, however, is that
the villages were linked by the river. The river formed a public
infrastructure providing the entire valley with food, energy and
transportation. In addition to this naturally given infrastructure, the
cave dwellers developed a communication system. Caves located high up
in the cliff walls formed excellent observation points from which one
could overlook large stretches of the valley as well as send signals to
other caves informing them of incoming game or warn against advancing
enemies.
The configuration of cliff, water and cave/tunnel, is also typical
of any fjord landscape in Norway. Large parts of the Norwegian
coastline are inhabited according to the same algorithm: the
juxtaposition of cliff (communication node), cave (settlement) and
waterfront (transportation system). In the small town of Holmestrand at
the Oslo Fjord, the urban context of the cliff creates a rupture
between the urban centre at its foot and the suburban population at the
top of the cliff.
Program
The prime function of the project is to bridge the rupture formed by
the vertical landscape. Technically this is done by means of an
elevator. The concept is to compose a program of development by which
the cliff is turned from obstacle to opportunity; using the elevator
shaft as an infrastructural spine.
The rock itself is conceived as part of the structure, allowing the
possibility of building the top floors of the development first, then
the bottom floors.
This constructed geography is programmed with culture- and leisure
facilities together with public services, and lines the edge of the
cliff with a belt of high end housing.
The top half of the elevator, rising outside the cliff, forms part
of a building structure starting from level +40.0 rising to +90.0. This
structure contains high end offices spaces, conference facilities,
apartments and a restaurant on the top floor.
At the foot of the cliff there is a horizontal 3 storey building
providing parking and office facilities as well as space for the
administration of the municipality.
Around the lower half of the elevator spine, the proposal shows
possibilities for drilling horizontal shafts, branching off from the
main elevator shaft. These “caves” can serve as pavilions, or spaces
for various cultural facilities, conference spaces, cinema halls inside
the rock, as well as spaces for storage of cheese and cognac, or the
cultivation of champignons.
The green area between the cliff and the coastline would be upgraded
as a culture park serving the local culture festival etc. In front of
the hotel and its planned extension there is a planned yacht harbour,
serving visitors to the various facilities as well as providing private
yacht parking for the residents of the cliff.
from archdaily
