Alstahaug, Norge
2023
The Kingdom of the Thousand Islands
Sandnessjøen has a long history of legends and traces, ranging from Viking settlements to industrial and war history. The town’s location by the water is unique and has historically been the basis for the town’s existence, growth, and identity. We have had a strong desire to preserve Sandnessjøen’s historical layers and make them a landmark for future urban development.
As visitors, we experience a place full of contrasts. Small, cozy wooden houses with green gardens and narrow gravel roads stand side by side with large industrial complexes surrounded by paved areas. The surrounding mountains with ‘The Seven Sisters’ become valleys that meet the vast sea, which constantly changes color and character in tune with the changing moods of the weather. The summer light and the darkness and cold of winter leave their mark on the town and form the framework for how the town has organized itself over time, how people move, where they meet, and how they live. The town’s contrasts create a complex collage of layers and diversity that challenges the eye and together make the place magical and full of experiences.
The geology of the area is of particular importance for understanding the region. The deep Vågen, which ‘intertwines’ with Kvernåsen and Sandnesåsen, creates a changing and rich landscape. Here, the water’s edge alternates between bare mountains, coastal meadows, quay edges, and stone embankments. The town’s location on and around Åsen gives it a distinctly green urban profile, where development has evolved along the sides of Åsen as small, low-rise buildings surrounded by gardens and vegetation. This creates a characteristic and open urban structure that adapts to nature and the landscape, while also providing views from the residential streets over the vast scenery.
The physical plan
The harbor and industrial areas are located at the foot of the Ridge, between the sea and the mountains. The areas and buildings here are large and prominent and testify to the importance of water for the city’s development and growth.
The overall physical approach is to better connect Sandnessjøen and strengthen the city’s link to the strong landscape qualities of the Helgeland coast. The balance and coexistence between the “residential city” and the “industrial city” will be prioritized in the future, and the synergy between residential qualities, the landscape, and good business opportunities will ensure sustainable urban and community development.
Nesset
The future of Nesset is important for the coherence of the existing town. A city environment needs to be created that can complement Sandnessjøen’s town center and provide life and identity. As an important catalyst for urban development, we propose moving the town hall to the tip of Nesset, creating a natural hub in front of Torolv Kveldulvsons Gate.
In the area, which is currently used as a parking zone for cars for ferry traffic, we propose a new square – a gathering place in the town – a gateway to the Kingdom of the 1000 Islands. We call the urban space ‘Himmelpladsen.’ The space will serve as a new meeting place in the town center and replace the large asphalted areas currently associated with the ferry quay, and the area should connect the new public ground floors of the area.
Housing in Nesset
The development at Nesset is 2-4 stories high and must not be too dominant in relation to the town behind it. We imagine that this new residential development can accommodate a wide range of housing types.
Housing in Åsen
At the top of the ridge, a series of new homes will be placed in clusters of 2-3 story units. The new cluster development is organized around a shared arrival plateau, from which one can make their way to their home.
We are inspired by the existing residential neighborhoods at the top of the hill. The small scale with pointed roofs, which allows space for trees and together creates a distinctive green city profile. Existing architectural motifs such as light wooden facades and heavy stone plinths will be reinterpreted. The architecture should be gentle and humble in its expression and work in harmony with the beautiful old houses at the top of Sandnesåsen.
Town hall with horizon and mountain
We are moving the town hall to Nesset in a new building located at the end of Torolv Kveldulvsons Street. The town hall has the potential to become a new cultural hub in the city, and this represents a central strategic move for the development of Nesset. A new and important square is being established between the town hall and the cultural bath, as a new gathering place at the city’s best location. The ground floor of the town hall will be open and public, with a reception, tourist information, and small shops selling local handicrafts, as well as a ticket office and waiting room for ferry passengers, and the ground floor should be open all the way around so that the spectacular landscape can be experienced from the inside.
Kvernåsen
Kvernåsen will become a place where the city’s residents meet and go for walks, a place that brings the city together. Small initiatives such as benches along the paths, the creation of clearings in the vegetation, and sheltered areas will help support the mystique and grandeur of the forest and mountains.
The tip of Kvernåsen is the place where sunlight reaches earliest and lasts the longest in the entire city, a place where one can see the sun rise and set. We are creating a ‘sundial plaza’ here. A place where people can celebrate light and darkness and see how the light transforms the vast landscape. The sundial plaza will expand the landscape and create a new attraction at the tip of Kvernåsen.
Grønningen
At the bottom of Vågen, we want to restore the meeting between the sea and the valley. Grønningen will become a new landscape area in the city, celebrating the major landscape and geological features. We want to recreate the landscape that was there when the Vikings settled in the area.
Projektfakta
Bygningsdata
Project_name: Sandnesvågen
Category:Landscape, Planning
Client: Alstahaug Kommune
Location: Alstahaug, Norge
Date: 2023
Status: Parallel assignment completed
Opgaven
Program: Planlægning
Activity: Strategi
Job_type: Parallelopdrag
contact: Morten Dam Feddersen, mdf@vandkunst.dk
Contact_group:Morten Dam Feddersen, Mirjam Hallin, Ina Augusta Stormoen, Lasse Brix Arge Malmberg
Rådgiverteam
Architect: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Landscape: Det Blå
Engineer: Beta Mobility
Consultant: Byantropologerne