Atlas interiors

The kindergartens are presented in Braun's Atlas of world interior design.

70°N@SA

Magdalena gives a lecture at Stockholms arkitektförening, Arkitekturskolan, Monday 15 November at 18.00.

OoO

These days we're a bit out of office.. Magdalena gives a lecture Thursday at KTH, Stockholm, while others are traveling eastern and western continents - more about that as soon as we get some reports.

Helen&Hard @ NAF

Helen&Hard will present their work, as the norwegian expo pavilion in Shanghai and Prekestolen tourist hotel, at a lecture organized by NAF at Kurant, 19.00 Thursday 11 November.

Jæren::Region

Magdalena is in Stavanger to participate and lecture at a conference about the future city and region development.

Tromsø-Ås

Gisle spends the day at Ås, discussing northern landscapes with the studio of Ola Bettum.

#9 - thank you!

Thanks to all of you for coming and participating at another PechaKucha Night!

PKN#9 // Polar Fokus - tonight!

If you would like to attend and haven't received this flyer by e-mail from 70°N please register here, if you're already on our mailing list please don't!

Accessibility vs Gated Community

Another article by Gisle was published in Nordlys this week-end.

Illustration:
One Nation under CCTV, Newman Street, London, by Banksy
Paraisópolis favela, Morumbi, São Paulo, photo by Tuca Vieira

element @ NAF

Element is a creative studio challenging the borders between architecture, design and art. They will present their work at a lecture organized by NAF at Kurant, 19.00 Tuesday 26 October.

PKN#9 - Polar Fokus!

PechaKucha Night #9 will take place at Kurant Wednesday 27 October, doors open at 19.30. This is a collaboration with the photo festival Polar Fokus, so all the presenters are photographers:
Thilo Bubek - animal life
Rudi Caeyers // polar experiences
Yngve Olsen Sæbbe // the bridge and the bay
Bård Grape // film project
Carl-Christian L. Størmer // on tour
Eirik Berger // svalbard pictures
Tromsø museum // cars and their owners
Mari Hildung
Reiner Schaufler // senja nature
Rebecca Kristensen // reflection
Tor Ivan Karlsen // polar pictures
Øyvind Ravna // reindeers in Kola

DJ Knut Bjørnar Ulriksen

If you don't already receive info e-mails and flyers directly from 70°N and would like to attend the event please register here, under enquiry (and vice versa, if you do receive our PKN mailings please don't register!)

settanta grados a Venezia

We are back from Venice and the biennale. We have hundreds of pics and impressions from these sweet venezian days, if we manage to sort them out a little we might put up a small report on the blog soon..

Grønlandske hus - Kalaallit illuat

A competition project from the archives, the Greenlandish house in Nuuk - made ten years ago with Bjørn Otto Braaten as an important part of the office, and this project:

Vi liker ikke å tenke på det. Det gjør ansvaret så stort. Og oppgaven nesten umulig. Likevel vet vi det jo alle.
Hus former våre liv.
Så gjør vi vårt beste. Med engasjement planlegger vi det gode liv. Slik det er for oss. Nitidig og nøyaktig får vi alt til å passe sammen. Vi husker det vi har lært.

Og glemmer kanskje det viktigste.
At det gode liv ikke kan planlegges.
Fordi det gode liv for meg er ikke det gode liv for deg.

Så kaster vi drømmen om det gode liv på båten, og argumenterer kaldt og nøkternt om basisfunksjoner, det nødvendige, om økonomi og produksjon. Det går fint. Vi tegner ett hus, to hus, tre, ti, tusen. Summen er overraskende nok ikke en husform, men en samfunnsform.
Det går ikke så fint lenger.

Vi må tilbake til å tenke på det vi ikke liker å tenke på.
At hus former våre liv.
Så må vi tenke på nytt.


Én plus én pluss én er én. To pluss fire pluss åtte er én. Summen av sammenstilte boliger er ikke flere hus, men et samfunn. Organiseringen og struktureringen av boligene er med på å definere det rommet vi er sammen om, -det offentlige rommet.

Stien som slynger seg mellom husene
Gata som følger knausenes bue
Plassen mellom de to husrekkene

Snakker vi om hus, er det alltid en planleggingsfeil hvis én pluss én pluss én er tre

seed for 2011

One of the projects for next year's Arkitekturens År 2011 is started. In collaboration with Botanisk Hage and Kristian Nyvoll the urban natur project met at Botanisk hage to collect seed. More about this and other ArkÅr2011 projects soon..

high north - high fashion

As the first snow is falling in Tromsø - this is what the fashion world proposes for the winter - we like!

BAS cruising

Deane Simpson and his master studio students from BAS tied up at Prostneset. Gisle joined them at their Hurtigruten ship for a discussion on Tromsø and the studio theme: tourism.

go goa

Professor Henrietta Palmer and teacher Michael Dudley with their students from Stockhom Art Academy post graduate course Advances Studies in Urbanism - Resources. 10 Bio-topical: Goa visited Tromsø last week. After seeing Steinsvik's I-box, and our projects at Strandkanten and Brinken, we finished the day with a lecture and discussion based on our projects Mosaïc::Region, Nordhavnen and Maniitsoq - and the search for planning tools that can work with complexity, openness and unknown futures.
We hope to hear from them again, when their research and publication are taking shape.. interesting people with an interesting project.

PKN#8 - thanks!

Thanks to all the presenters, Kurant, the organizing team and to all of you for coming and sharing a really nice PechaKucha Night with us!

PKN#8!

PechaKucha Night Tromsø invites you to PKN#8! We are happy to announce our collaboration with Kurant, which is our new venue.


















We are proud to announce the list of presenters at PechaKucha Night Tromsø #8:

Line Dolmen + Geir Backe Altern + Kåre Grundvåg // artists/gallerists // Kurant
Amund Schweder // architect
Jonas Eilertsen // politician/board leader // Studentsamskipnaden
Tove Marienborg // md/geologist // NordNorsk Vitensenter
Eivind Austad // chef // Vulkana
Morten Skandfer // dr/researcher
Kristian Nyvoll // gardener/researcher // Botanisk hage
Hege Pålsrud // scenographer // Pålsrud prosjekt
Rudi Caeyers // photographer
Morten Wintervold + Sigbjørn Skåden // authors/artistic board // Ordkalotten

+DJ Maximo!

Thursday 23 September at 19.30 the doors will open at Kurant (Søndre Tollbodgate 17, close to Skansen and Verftet) - and PechaKucha Night Tromsø #8 will take place - welcome!

Maniitsoq - anguniakkat periarfissallu Maniitsoq - visions and possibilities

We have recently come to a culmination and a preliminary conclusion of our one-year engagement in Greenland - resulting in a vision report, an exhibition, presentations and discussions with inhabitants and politicians.

XL-L-M-S Greenland

XL - Greenland is confronting great changes and upheavals. From being a huge icecap in a remote corner of the world – Greenland has become the world’s most urgent icon for climate-changes. At the same time, Greenland is facing a possible exploitation of oil, gas and hydropower, and new industrialisation from aluminium-plants and mining. New sources of income might mean economical independence from Denmark, but also a significant impact on the landscape – a paradigmatic shift from natural landscapes to industrial landscapes – a shift with no return.

L – Maniitsoq is a mid-size Greenlandic city with, approx. 2800 inhabitants. Because of its strategic location regarding hydropower, the city is designated as site for Alcoa’s aluminium production in Greenland. Alcoa in Maniitsoq means doubling the city’s number of inhabitants. Maniitsoq is a city in recession, and Alcoa means hope for a prosperous future for the municipality. 70°N were invited by Qeqqata Kommunia to help preparing Maniitsoq for possible futures – in a broad span of scenarios, from rapid expansion to a continuation without aluminium. All based on strategies for preparing the landscape for changes - on natural and social sustainability, densification, housing standard, typologies, infrastructure and for transformation of the city and the landscape.

M – Greenlandic housing has always been characterized by typologies from Europe and Denmark that not necessarily have been appropriate for the landscape or the cultural context. There is an ongoing national debate on housing typologies and housing standards that is deeply reflected in the local discussion about Maniitsoq’s future. 70°N introduce the necessity for a higher architectural and technical standard on the housing stock, and the need for a more sustainable development of the municipality. Further, we introduce the possibility for renovating some of the old blocks into new and modern apartments – also as a strategy for resource saving where no more mistakes from the past should be made again.

S – In Maniitsoq the inhabitants and the municipality are highly committed in the processes concerning improvement and development of the place and the city. In a discussion of sustainable changes that regard the inhabitants and the landscape independently of Alcoa, we have discussed a ‘Point of Departure’ strategy, which can handle a vulnerable situation. This is a process of mapping and of being aware of existing qualities in the city. These ‘Points of Departure’ emphasize the qualities that are found, or become special locations to be developed into projects of subtle interest and importance for the city and the people in Maniitsoq.

See the exhibition in the Town Hall of Maniitsoq, Kuuttartoq B1077 – or see the pdf-report here.

Eriksen Skajaa @ NAF

Eriksen Skajaa is a young office that will present their work at a lecture organized by NAF at Kurant, 19.00 Thursday 16 September.

dynamics of agonism

A new article by Gisle was published in Nordlys Friday 10 September. This one is about the importance of constructive debate in the planning process.

Qanorooq - Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa

Our Maniitsoq report and exhibition are on the news - Qanorooq (skip the first two thirds of the transmission to get directly to this part of the programme, or watch it from the start to get news about Greenpeace and seal hunters as well).

prefabulous

The XBO is presented in the latest links publication - Prefabulous Architecture.

Kristian, Mo, Roberto, Gaute & Tone - the new architects!

Diploma students at BAS, now architects, made a great job this week-end presenting their projects - congratulations and good luck!

Greenland in August

qeqqata kommunia #3

Berit and Gisle have left for the third trip to Greenland. With them are the exhibition and the report we've been working on, which will be handed over in meetings with politicians and citizens this week. Pics and info soon!

workshop: one year of architecture

A message to you from the Northern Norway Architect Association:
I anledning av Norske Arkitekters Landsforbunds 100-årsjubileum er 2011 utpekt til Arkitekturens År. I tillegg til årets hovedarrangement i Oslo er det også ønskelig at lokalforeningene bidrar med arrangement rundt omkring i landet. For at vi skal få dette til kreves det engasjement fra medlemmene, og samarbeid med andre vil være en stor fordel.
Kurator for Arkitekturens År 2011 på nasjonalt nivå er 0047 og det overgripende temaet for året er ENDRINGSROM.
Vi i Nord-Norges Arkitektforening ønsker at vårt bidrag til jubileumsåret skal være mer enn isolerte hendelser rettet mot fagpersoner og spesielt interesserte. Gjennom et bredt samarbeid med andre organisasjoner og ressurspersoner ønsker vi å rette fokus på betydningen av våre romlige omgivelser, utvide forståelsen for hva arkitektur er, og nå ut til et større publikum.
For å komme videre med arbeidet ønsker vi DINE innspill og idéer.
Vi inviterer derfor DEG til en workshop der vi håper å samle interesserte personer og knytte kontakter.
Tromsø, torsdag 19. august kl. 18:00 - 21:00
Café des Beaux-Arts (Tromsø Kunstforening)
NAF

utopian consequences

Another of Gisle's articles for Nordlys is now available online: Utopi eller dystopi.

obra mínima

We just received Arquitectura Viva #140 - obra mínima which presents 50 small works, one of them is our view platform in Torvdalshalsen.

Lotus

The italian magazine Lotus publishes our bicycle space in an article about the national tourist routes.

summer updates

Mathias Kempton sent us some pictures from the Malmö exhibition and workshops earlier this summer.

Here are some other things that happened while we spent time elsewhere than on the internet:
-it is possible to see our and the other 18 concepts for small spaces at Victoria & Albert until the end of August
-Det store rum where we participate with an article on Points of Departure is now possible to download
-designboom published our national tourist routes projects.

le droit à la ville

If you have access to today's Nordlys newspaper (Friday 18 June) you can read another article by Gisle - this one is about the right to the city.

update: the text (in norwegian) is now available here.

WinD - As Found

World in Denmark is an annual research conference taking place in Copenhagen. This year we're here to present and discuss our paper Findings - using complexity as investigation tool: the plan as dynamic process.

Det store rum

We're in Copenhagen for the book release, Det store rum - a debate book where we participate with an article is published by Realdania. Links and info soon.







update: Det store rum is now possible to download here.

Malmö - City in Progress

We're in Malmö for the opening of the City in Progress exhibition at the Town Hall. Our studio City as Biotope at Bergen Architecture School is invited together with students from Alnarp and Lund to propose thinking and projects around themes as: rising sea level, integration and city growth. We thank Director of City Planning at Malmö Stad, Christer Larsson, for the invitation.

V&A small spaces

We are invited to participate in the Victoria & Albert exhibition 1:1 architects build small spaces with our concept Forever Forest / Endless Sea.

We're in London at the pre-première for the exhibition that will officially open 15 June and be on until 30 August.

20 selected architects from all over the world participate with concepts on the themes of: Cocoon / Womb, Dialogue / Collaboration, Escape / Retreat, Laboratory / Shed, Outside / Inside, Performance / Fiction, Playtime / Dreamspace, where the last one was ours to interpret.

This is (parts of) how curator Abraham Thomas described the exhibition in his invitation to us a year ago: At a time when the conception of architecture within the general public’s consciousness has come to be defined by large-scale, ambitious projects monopolised by a handful of internationally-focussed practices, this exhibition attempts to explore and celebrate a building strategy concerned with small-scale structures, singular design visions and a modesty of purpose.

Set amid the current economic and social climate which is rapidly developing in opposition to the recent trend for grandiose building schemes, this exhibition will explore a new agenda for design and construction which allows us to return to architecture as an ‘idea’, as a basic human need for shelter – a space for retreat and contemplation on a human scale. In the context of a cultural landscape ever more concerned with ‘appropriate design’, this exhibition aims to present examples of architecture pre-occupied with an aesthetic of quietness, combined with a renewed sense of function and instinctive purpose.

The architects will be encouraged to explore specific architectural and social typologies, each reflecting the intrinsic human need for modest, private spaces which can offer a vital refuge from everyday life. The exhibition will generate debate and discussion around the idea of creating personal space, and how we occupy this space both physically and emotionally. The structures will refer to historical and cultural precedents, whilst also reflecting contemporary examples of agile responses to such small-scale building strategies.

letter from le56 in 20th

Doina Petrescu, our friend at aaa, sends us some good news from the 20th arrondissement, to spread around us:

Dear friends,
You have visited, seen, published or just heard about our project Passage 56, St Blaise Paris which has recently been awarded a special mention within the European Prize for Public Space competition. www.publicspace.org

The project has been currently selected for another competition: Prix Grand Public des Architectures contemporaines de la Métropole Parisienne, which presents to the public opinia a selection of recent successful projects in Paris. The 56 is probably the ONLY bottom-up project in the selection, realised with very little money and the participation of inhabitants of the area who have gradually became users and managers of the space. We will be very happy if you can support the Passage 56 bid by voting (or/and commenting) on www.prixpublicarchi.com/espaces_publics/ by 30 June.

Many thanks for your support
aaa and Le56

what's on at 56: 56stblaiseactualites.wordpress.com/ photos: aaa/le56

NAF+SMAQ

The Northern Norway architect association invites to the annual meeting followed by the award cermony for the Northern Norway architecture award and a lecture by Sabine Müller of SMAQ, Berlin.
At Driv (3rd floor), Friday 11 June at 18.00

det store rum

The danish debate publication Det store rum will be released in June. The book is published by Realdania and contains several articles about regional planning, like Points of Departure - en kontinuerlig reformulering av planens mål og virkemidler by Gisle, co-written with Magdalena.