Brattøra Open Space

Location: Trondheim, Norway
Client: Statens Vegvesen
Team: Stig L. Andersson, Sofie Kjærsgaard Jørgensen, Salka Kudsk, Franziska Kober
Collaborators: Pir II, Myklebust, Sweco, Cowi
Design phase: 2009
Area: 2,3 ha.
Type: 1st prize, competition by invitation

Nature’s raw forces, the changing light of the sky, the poetic and the aggressive. These elements and processes are present in Brattøra Open Space. Materials already present here – such as concrete, rocks and wood – is processed in ways which emphasizes their structure and material effect in a clear and cultivated way.

In the Open Space one experiences the town meeting the sea. It is a space that the town can use on hot summer days, on tougher autumn days, ice cold winter mornings and blooming spring days.

An in-situ cast concrete plateau binds together the entire area. This long stretch is divided into smaller spaces: oblique surfaces, some of which reaches right down to the water, a number of notches, piles of rocks, low walls and pockets for bike parking.

The area has a design which offers people a large amount of experiences. Low walls shelter and create places for resting without hiding the view from the road. Furnishing and paving provide challenging parkour options and possibilities for rollerskating, running and walking. Large rocks break the waves, which, however, can also smash directly and forcefully into the edge at some places.

The Fjord Park is an area with a mini-wood, small picnic-areas, barbeque areas, space for different ballgames such as volley and basketball, possibilities for fishing, relaxing on the beach and to get close to the sea from the dammed area at the beach. There are activities and recreational possibilities for different age groups, challenges for people, as well as spaces where less active people can experience the wind and the roaring of the sea, the smells and sounds of the area.