The project Plateaus deals with the subject of reusing existing buildings
as part of a new development. The project is built around two main
premises: working with a collaborator on an intended development and
creating a theoretical method of approach.
The intended project is regarding to industrial buildings located in the
area known as ‘Eternitten’, which are meant to be made into housing
complexes in 2016. As a way of learning how to approach existing
buildings a theoretical method called ‘Tectonic Alteration’ has been
developed. The essence of this method is to uncover tectonic potentials
in the existing building, and then develop and incorporate it into the new
design, in order to create an added value in the finish result.
The design is based on a concept of plateaus, inspired by the typography
of the area and the terraced architecture of the surrounding buildings. By
looking at the structural system of the old buildings, a new system has
been developed to join with the old and create a coherency in the overall
expression. This is done with a subtle contrast in materials and joints, to
differentiate new and old. A new structure is built upon the old, and by the
use of concrete decks plateaus have been made. These are then used for
recreational green areas, access via stairs going from one to the other,
in a vertical transition. Dwellings are then placed in accordance with the
structural system, adjacent to the green areas, accessed by a gallery. In
order to provide private areas in relation to the public, each apartment
is fitted with a porch in from, creating a buffer to the gallery, and given
the residents a space of their own. The apartments are shaped by the
construction, and work a principle of transition from the entrance to the
opposite facade. On the porch there is a great view of the city and in the
living room there is a focus on light. There is a line of sight going through
the apartment showing this transition, and it is emphasized by a window
with seating on the opposite side, a space where the resident can sit and
enjoy the sunlight.