Klaksvik City Centre
This proposal by "Henning Larsen Architects" is the winning project in an open international competition, auctioned by the Municipality of Klaksvik.
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| www.henninglarsen.com |
Klaksvik city is the second largest city in Faroe Ιslands which is located in the island of Bordoy, the largest of the northern islands. Klaksvik spans over two opposite mountain ridges, connected by a low-lying area. The location of the city makes it particularly exposed to the wind, which is the basic element that has taken into serious consideration. The area is about 150.000m2.
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www.mappery.com
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www.jan-anne-zach.dk
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Klaksvik was relatively isolated;until two years ago all commertial communication with the rest of the world had to take place by boat. The city has been dependent on fishing for centuries; especially whalecatching , due to uncertainties in the industry the municipality is looking elsewhere for economic stability,such as technology. Also to promote its public image and lead the town to a new urban character, they decided to stage an international competition for the new city centre.
Major goal of the competition was a plan that develops the town's center and ensure close links between new and existing buildings and their surroundings and recommend an urban development masterplan for the area with a ten-to-twenty years prespective on several-levels,while being adaptable to changes.
As the wind and the natural weather patterns are the main problems for the design of the area, the project team tried to work with "broken" and "displaced" volumes wanting to give a solution. During the design process the project team took into serious consideration all the data from local knowledge and experience.
According to the architect the new urban space is based on a star-shaped structure which constitutes the new city square. The pointed shape ensures that the new urban space is rooted in the existing city and it brings the surrounding space city into the new square. Klaksvik City Centre consists of three different themes : a green recreational area, an urban development with central square and a seaside area with houses. The square forms a natural connection to the sea and will be the heart of the city.
As the project team says "The perception of comfort and wind enviroment is subjective and cannot quantified unambiguously.The displaced building volumes break the dominant winds and create comfortable shelter zones in the city. With more detailed,local measurements,it is possible to adjust the volumes and thus climatically optimise the building stock" .
The jury team also said "The plan proposed is simple and compelling with the two water streams Ósá and Vágsá opening up towards the sides of the bay. Vágsá is an urban canal that runs into a distinctive basin at the southern end of the square, whereas Ósá is an open stream that debouches into the bay on its sunny side at Biskupsstø, where there is a sandy beach and boat houses reminiscent of Klaksvik in days gone by. Together, these features create a layout that opens up towards the water and the views in a natural way, and out here – as an attractive continuation of the urban square – are the two most important community buildings: the culture centre and the maritime museum".
As the wind and the natural weather patterns are the main problems for the design of the area, the project team tried to work with "broken" and "displaced" volumes wanting to give a solution. During the design process the project team took into serious consideration all the data from local knowledge and experience.
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| www.henninglarsen.com |
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| www.archdaily.com |
According to the architect the new urban space is based on a star-shaped structure which constitutes the new city square. The pointed shape ensures that the new urban space is rooted in the existing city and it brings the surrounding space city into the new square. Klaksvik City Centre consists of three different themes : a green recreational area, an urban development with central square and a seaside area with houses. The square forms a natural connection to the sea and will be the heart of the city.
 |
| www.archdaily.com |
 |
| www.archdaily.com |
 |
| www.archdaily.com |
As the project team says "The perception of comfort and wind enviroment is subjective and cannot quantified unambiguously.The displaced building volumes break the dominant winds and create comfortable shelter zones in the city. With more detailed,local measurements,it is possible to adjust the volumes and thus climatically optimise the building stock" .
The jury team also said "The plan proposed is simple and compelling with the two water streams Ósá and Vágsá opening up towards the sides of the bay. Vágsá is an urban canal that runs into a distinctive basin at the southern end of the square, whereas Ósá is an open stream that debouches into the bay on its sunny side at Biskupsstø, where there is a sandy beach and boat houses reminiscent of Klaksvik in days gone by. Together, these features create a layout that opens up towards the water and the views in a natural way, and out here – as an attractive continuation of the urban square – are the two most important community buildings: the culture centre and the maritime museum".
πηγές:
www.henninglarsen.com
www.paisea.com
www.competitions.org
www.archdaily.com
