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AGRI-HUB
AGRI-HUB
As, Norway
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Other Projects by GUILLAUME JOUNET LACOSTE
AGRI-HUB
As, Norway
Type
YEAR
2013
SIZE
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft
BUDGET
$10M - 50M
1 . TOWN SCALE . 1
> IDENTITY <
As the largest agricultural municipality of Akershus county, Ås stands out from all other satellite towns gravitating around Oslo. Of its 101 square kilometers of land, about 39 are farmed, feeding the region with grain, vegetables and dairy products, and 46 are forested, maintaining high levels of biological diversity.
' YET, MORE THAN MERELY BEING SURROUNDED BY NATURE, ÅS DISTINGUISHES ITSELF AS A HUB IN THE ARENA OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING STATE-OF-THE-ART KNOWLEDGE BASED ON A BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES.'
Indeed, it accommodates several organizations related to agricultural research and industry, e.g. Nofima, Bioforsk or even Skog & Landskap, 3 institutes offering expertise in food production, plant health, environment, resource management and development. Also, the most emblematic one, i.e. the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) established in 1859 as an agricultural school, is now recognized as a leading international center of knowledge in environmental and biological sciences.
Unfortunately, this particular identity is barely visible to visitors at first sight, and man could hardly tell about such an heritage without being noticed.
' BUT WITH THESE STRONG ASSETS AS A DRIVING FORCE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS, ÅS COULD BE ENSURED TO KEEP THE LEAD IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABILITY, ADVOCATE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE THROUGH AGRICULTURAL KNOW-HOW, AND EMBODY THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN PRESERVATION (PAST), RESEARCH (PRESENT) AND DEVELOPMENT (FUTURE).'
Instead of presenting an almost "generic" town center, Ås should showcase its specific ability to let nature and culture coexist harmoniously, and aim at inspiring other towns and mid-size cities like a consultant in sustainable development.
> ECONOMY <
In an era of global homogeneity in cities throughout the world, the proximity to farmlands, i.e. places where traditions and customs still prevail, is highly appreciated and local initiatives often encouraged. Being an integral part of Oslo's conurbation, anything triggered in Ås will thus resonate regionally or even nationally, which could be depicted as a "glocal" economy : local acts with global effects.
The municipality of Ås already committed itself to take several initiatives for a brighter future : among them, "District Heating Project" providing the city and campus with a sustainable heating system, "Lifecycle Following" sorting organic and residual waste separately to produce biogas and fertilizer, "Eco" recommending certification scheme for small and large businesses. These inspirational acts are as many examples of how a synergy between the local community, the university, national institutions, existing and emerging businesses can be created and build bridges between disciplines and entities.
' IN A VIRTUOUS MANNER, ÅS HAS EVERYTHING TO GAIN BECOMING A HUB FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE, AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE FOR VARIOUS BODIES TO BENEFIT FROM THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS : STUDENTS DIRECTLY CONNECTING WITH NEW INDUSTRIES, THE UNIVERSITY ACCESSING TANGIBLE CASE STUDIES, BUSINESSES REACHING EXPERTISE AND EXPERIMENTATION, INSTITUTIONS SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT, ETC.'
> LIFESTYLE <
In recent history, a new urban phenomena man could call "rurban exodus" arose in capital cities' peripheral areas, resulting from real estate prices skyrocketing, city centers shrinking and suburbs sprawling, or even means of transportation and communication evolving. The progressive braiding of rural and urban territories generated new prospects for a generation of citizens observing the affordability of an urban quality of life decrease. Half-way between the city center and the countryside, Ås is by definition taking advantage of both without compromise, and consequently represent a new land of opportunities.
Beside, eco-consciousness also marked a significant change in behavior, with an ubiquitous will of the population to return to an healthier life, closer to nature. Following progress in industry and hygiene, sustainability could as well be a major ideology of the 21st century.
' YET, MORE THAN A NEARNESS TO NATURE, ECOLOGY PROPOSES NEW SOCIAL PATTERNS, BASED ON INTERACTION WITHIN A COMMUNITY SHARING MUTUAL INTERESTS.'
For that reason, the densification of the urban fabric in central Ås will favor the elaboration of an optimized network between inhabitants, equipments, activities and services to meet the demand of an environmentally respectful way of life.
> URBAN <
WEIGHT POINT
Clearly unbalanced, the existing pattern scatters weight points on the map, eventually creating gaps between neighborhoods : the most obvious one in between the train station area and the university. Distances cannot be physically reduced, and connections aren't really lacking, but activities seriously are: the feeling of distance could as well be minimize with "events". To fill the gap between these 2 major urban entities, focusing on the insertion of new functions is essential. Instead of witnessing a sort of competition of independent areas, a new pivot thoroughfare in between would invite the university eastward and today's center westward, in a seamless manner. Not only linking surrounding areas, the new axis of confluence would embody a genuine connection to the regional network, leaving none of Ås' neighborhood remote.
GREEN CORRIDOR
Although improvable, the existing center of Ås already features a promising typology of public space: a green corridor across which facilities are scattered seemingly at random. This sequence of functions stretches out from downtown (town hall, cinema, public library, open-air auditorium, playground, elementary school and day-care,) to the campus (conference hall, student society, open-air stadium, sports hall), leaving pedestrians and cyclists free to stroll in between. Reinforcing this axis by adding new significant equipments would intensify the journey from the station to the campus and generate reasons for both sides to visit the other. All kitted out with multiple programs, the extended public corridor might act like a structural spine around which denser areas will raise off the ground, without sacrificing the global green structure. Moreover, and unlike farmlands, it will provide the community with an accessible and multi-sided natural space to share, encouraging collective thinking over individual.
MISSING LINK
Among the elements emphasizing the lack of dialogue between different areas of Ås, the scale of existing buildings is far from harmonious. The "missing link effect" could be depicted as a discrepancy between large institutional buildings (university for instance) and individual ones (town houses), without any mid-sized venue to connect them. Heterogeneity isn't problematic in itself - on the contrary it can be the source of accidental or controlled events - but privileging progressive change of scale would preserve the existing atmosphere of Ås. Besides, despite the lack of density in the center, most of the lands are private and prevent people from crossing them casually. It is crucial to leave the street level porous to provide alternative routes for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the town. It could be achieved by proposing public or semi-public programs at street level, sheltered in a permeable infrastructure, on top of which private properties would be piled up almost independently.
2 . SITE SCALE . 2
> NETWORK <
Located at the crossroad of the two most important axis in town, an east-west road connection and a north-south rail connection, the study site is far from isolated. The critical part comes when these arteries should be crossed, to link the future developments northward and the easternmost part of Ås. Totally re-modeling the proposed site would be an important and unnecessary loss of energy, plus a wrong investment as it would involve huge infrastructural modifications and only move the issue further away. However, new adjacent developments should progressively integrate connection and crossing points for cars or pedestrians to complete the existing grid, along with the municipality's growth.
> ATMOSPHERE <
On site, prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists over cars will introduce a "village-like" feeling within the study site. Excepted two low-speed drive ways reserved for residents and one loading bay, most of the spaces are vehicles-free. Working like a huge public square with events and activities spread all over it, the area will become a place where anything is likely to happen. Although densification is ongoing on site, the fact that most territories are large and shared maintains a sensation of well-spaced neighborhood, where human scale is respected.
> PRESERVATION <
Laden with history, the preserved buildings on site can possibly be as many actors of Ås' renewal and further development. Keeping their respective structure and assign new functions would prove the municipality's will to be exemplary in terms of durability, by extending the life cycle of architecture. The three symbolic buildings, Mega, Asheim and Tandberg can all become epitome of sustainability and activate interaction within the local community. Instead of sweeping the place up and start from scratch, leaning on existing structures (terrain, infrastructure or architecture) will infuse the neighborhood with a sense of local history, and every additional construction will benefit from it, unlike brand new urban development often lacking identity.
> COMMUNITY <
The existing needs some adjustments though: whereas the old urban fabric favored privacy and individuality, the proposed scheme tends to associate people in a shared living environment. In response to single family housings, the new generic typology of mixed-use architecture will integrate public activities overlaid by private dwellings, and borrow its familiar shape to the local tradition. The two distinct programs are highly flexible so that any scenario can be imagined and any association of functions blended.
Note : even Asheim is following the same design pattern, with private spaces on upper stories and external visitors allowed on the ground floor. One way or another, this scheme can always be adapted, and surprisingly, it is already found in traditional typologies.
3 . ARCHITECTURE SCALE . 3
> MEGA <
Colossal in size compared to ancient houses surrounding it, the Mega can fit large programs and become a major institution or facility for Ås. The existing supermarket, not indispensable in its present form (other grocery stores within a close perimeter), should be turned into a genuine covered food market to get a taste of local products and promote the regional know-how.
On the upper floors, and inhabiting the rest of the building, the main museum of Ås, dedicated to its local artist Odd Tandberg (but not only), would offer flexible spaces for exhibitions and archives, but also house artist residencies and additional spaces for visitors to enjoy a clear view of the townscape.
> HYBRID <
To go further with the concept of devoting the street level to the community and keep it free from physical boundaries or privacy limitations, most of the programs inserted on site will be public or semi-public. This scheme aims at providing pedestrians and cyclists with as much freedom of movement as possible to trigger liveliness.
Then, a new typology of town houses will be stacked up above, mimicking the traditional houses of Ås, but way more flexible and imaginative. Their typology can allow owners to turn it into student housings (small units with large common spaces), apartment buildings (medium units with large common spaces) or family houses (everything large).
> TANDBERG <
Straight after exiting the multimodal station, visitors are channeled on Moerveien, the study site playing the role of background in the perspective. Tandberg's old house being the figure head of the site, it is relevant to think of it as a landmark for inhabitants as well as visitors. The typical shape of it and its past history makes it the perfect shell to accommodate a tourism office, essential in any town willing to be a spot on the map. It would welcome newcomers and passers-by and provide information about the region, the town's development, the green initiatives ongoing, etc. Most of the structure would be preserved except the three hollowed out gables.
> IDENTITY <
As the largest agricultural municipality of Akershus county, Ås stands out from all other satellite towns gravitating around Oslo. Of its 101 square kilometers of land, about 39 are farmed, feeding the region with grain, vegetables and dairy products, and 46 are forested, maintaining high levels of biological diversity.
' YET, MORE THAN MERELY BEING SURROUNDED BY NATURE, ÅS DISTINGUISHES ITSELF AS A HUB IN THE ARENA OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING STATE-OF-THE-ART KNOWLEDGE BASED ON A BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES.'
Indeed, it accommodates several organizations related to agricultural research and industry, e.g. Nofima, Bioforsk or even Skog & Landskap, 3 institutes offering expertise in food production, plant health, environment, resource management and development. Also, the most emblematic one, i.e. the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) established in 1859 as an agricultural school, is now recognized as a leading international center of knowledge in environmental and biological sciences.
Unfortunately, this particular identity is barely visible to visitors at first sight, and man could hardly tell about such an heritage without being noticed.
' BUT WITH THESE STRONG ASSETS AS A DRIVING FORCE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS, ÅS COULD BE ENSURED TO KEEP THE LEAD IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABILITY, ADVOCATE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE THROUGH AGRICULTURAL KNOW-HOW, AND EMBODY THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN PRESERVATION (PAST), RESEARCH (PRESENT) AND DEVELOPMENT (FUTURE).'
Instead of presenting an almost "generic" town center, Ås should showcase its specific ability to let nature and culture coexist harmoniously, and aim at inspiring other towns and mid-size cities like a consultant in sustainable development.
> ECONOMY <
In an era of global homogeneity in cities throughout the world, the proximity to farmlands, i.e. places where traditions and customs still prevail, is highly appreciated and local initiatives often encouraged. Being an integral part of Oslo's conurbation, anything triggered in Ås will thus resonate regionally or even nationally, which could be depicted as a "glocal" economy : local acts with global effects.
The municipality of Ås already committed itself to take several initiatives for a brighter future : among them, "District Heating Project" providing the city and campus with a sustainable heating system, "Lifecycle Following" sorting organic and residual waste separately to produce biogas and fertilizer, "Eco" recommending certification scheme for small and large businesses. These inspirational acts are as many examples of how a synergy between the local community, the university, national institutions, existing and emerging businesses can be created and build bridges between disciplines and entities.
' IN A VIRTUOUS MANNER, ÅS HAS EVERYTHING TO GAIN BECOMING A HUB FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE, AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE FOR VARIOUS BODIES TO BENEFIT FROM THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS : STUDENTS DIRECTLY CONNECTING WITH NEW INDUSTRIES, THE UNIVERSITY ACCESSING TANGIBLE CASE STUDIES, BUSINESSES REACHING EXPERTISE AND EXPERIMENTATION, INSTITUTIONS SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT, ETC.'
> LIFESTYLE <
In recent history, a new urban phenomena man could call "rurban exodus" arose in capital cities' peripheral areas, resulting from real estate prices skyrocketing, city centers shrinking and suburbs sprawling, or even means of transportation and communication evolving. The progressive braiding of rural and urban territories generated new prospects for a generation of citizens observing the affordability of an urban quality of life decrease. Half-way between the city center and the countryside, Ås is by definition taking advantage of both without compromise, and consequently represent a new land of opportunities.
Beside, eco-consciousness also marked a significant change in behavior, with an ubiquitous will of the population to return to an healthier life, closer to nature. Following progress in industry and hygiene, sustainability could as well be a major ideology of the 21st century.
' YET, MORE THAN A NEARNESS TO NATURE, ECOLOGY PROPOSES NEW SOCIAL PATTERNS, BASED ON INTERACTION WITHIN A COMMUNITY SHARING MUTUAL INTERESTS.'
For that reason, the densification of the urban fabric in central Ås will favor the elaboration of an optimized network between inhabitants, equipments, activities and services to meet the demand of an environmentally respectful way of life.
> URBAN <
WEIGHT POINT
Clearly unbalanced, the existing pattern scatters weight points on the map, eventually creating gaps between neighborhoods : the most obvious one in between the train station area and the university. Distances cannot be physically reduced, and connections aren't really lacking, but activities seriously are: the feeling of distance could as well be minimize with "events". To fill the gap between these 2 major urban entities, focusing on the insertion of new functions is essential. Instead of witnessing a sort of competition of independent areas, a new pivot thoroughfare in between would invite the university eastward and today's center westward, in a seamless manner. Not only linking surrounding areas, the new axis of confluence would embody a genuine connection to the regional network, leaving none of Ås' neighborhood remote.
GREEN CORRIDOR
Although improvable, the existing center of Ås already features a promising typology of public space: a green corridor across which facilities are scattered seemingly at random. This sequence of functions stretches out from downtown (town hall, cinema, public library, open-air auditorium, playground, elementary school and day-care,) to the campus (conference hall, student society, open-air stadium, sports hall), leaving pedestrians and cyclists free to stroll in between. Reinforcing this axis by adding new significant equipments would intensify the journey from the station to the campus and generate reasons for both sides to visit the other. All kitted out with multiple programs, the extended public corridor might act like a structural spine around which denser areas will raise off the ground, without sacrificing the global green structure. Moreover, and unlike farmlands, it will provide the community with an accessible and multi-sided natural space to share, encouraging collective thinking over individual.
MISSING LINK
Among the elements emphasizing the lack of dialogue between different areas of Ås, the scale of existing buildings is far from harmonious. The "missing link effect" could be depicted as a discrepancy between large institutional buildings (university for instance) and individual ones (town houses), without any mid-sized venue to connect them. Heterogeneity isn't problematic in itself - on the contrary it can be the source of accidental or controlled events - but privileging progressive change of scale would preserve the existing atmosphere of Ås. Besides, despite the lack of density in the center, most of the lands are private and prevent people from crossing them casually. It is crucial to leave the street level porous to provide alternative routes for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the town. It could be achieved by proposing public or semi-public programs at street level, sheltered in a permeable infrastructure, on top of which private properties would be piled up almost independently.
2 . SITE SCALE . 2
> NETWORK <
Located at the crossroad of the two most important axis in town, an east-west road connection and a north-south rail connection, the study site is far from isolated. The critical part comes when these arteries should be crossed, to link the future developments northward and the easternmost part of Ås. Totally re-modeling the proposed site would be an important and unnecessary loss of energy, plus a wrong investment as it would involve huge infrastructural modifications and only move the issue further away. However, new adjacent developments should progressively integrate connection and crossing points for cars or pedestrians to complete the existing grid, along with the municipality's growth.
> ATMOSPHERE <
On site, prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists over cars will introduce a "village-like" feeling within the study site. Excepted two low-speed drive ways reserved for residents and one loading bay, most of the spaces are vehicles-free. Working like a huge public square with events and activities spread all over it, the area will become a place where anything is likely to happen. Although densification is ongoing on site, the fact that most territories are large and shared maintains a sensation of well-spaced neighborhood, where human scale is respected.
> PRESERVATION <
Laden with history, the preserved buildings on site can possibly be as many actors of Ås' renewal and further development. Keeping their respective structure and assign new functions would prove the municipality's will to be exemplary in terms of durability, by extending the life cycle of architecture. The three symbolic buildings, Mega, Asheim and Tandberg can all become epitome of sustainability and activate interaction within the local community. Instead of sweeping the place up and start from scratch, leaning on existing structures (terrain, infrastructure or architecture) will infuse the neighborhood with a sense of local history, and every additional construction will benefit from it, unlike brand new urban development often lacking identity.
> COMMUNITY <
The existing needs some adjustments though: whereas the old urban fabric favored privacy and individuality, the proposed scheme tends to associate people in a shared living environment. In response to single family housings, the new generic typology of mixed-use architecture will integrate public activities overlaid by private dwellings, and borrow its familiar shape to the local tradition. The two distinct programs are highly flexible so that any scenario can be imagined and any association of functions blended.
Note : even Asheim is following the same design pattern, with private spaces on upper stories and external visitors allowed on the ground floor. One way or another, this scheme can always be adapted, and surprisingly, it is already found in traditional typologies.
3 . ARCHITECTURE SCALE . 3
> MEGA <
Colossal in size compared to ancient houses surrounding it, the Mega can fit large programs and become a major institution or facility for Ås. The existing supermarket, not indispensable in its present form (other grocery stores within a close perimeter), should be turned into a genuine covered food market to get a taste of local products and promote the regional know-how.
On the upper floors, and inhabiting the rest of the building, the main museum of Ås, dedicated to its local artist Odd Tandberg (but not only), would offer flexible spaces for exhibitions and archives, but also house artist residencies and additional spaces for visitors to enjoy a clear view of the townscape.
> HYBRID <
To go further with the concept of devoting the street level to the community and keep it free from physical boundaries or privacy limitations, most of the programs inserted on site will be public or semi-public. This scheme aims at providing pedestrians and cyclists with as much freedom of movement as possible to trigger liveliness.
Then, a new typology of town houses will be stacked up above, mimicking the traditional houses of Ås, but way more flexible and imaginative. Their typology can allow owners to turn it into student housings (small units with large common spaces), apartment buildings (medium units with large common spaces) or family houses (everything large).
> TANDBERG <
Straight after exiting the multimodal station, visitors are channeled on Moerveien, the study site playing the role of background in the perspective. Tandberg's old house being the figure head of the site, it is relevant to think of it as a landmark for inhabitants as well as visitors. The typical shape of it and its past history makes it the perfect shell to accommodate a tourism office, essential in any town willing to be a spot on the map. It would welcome newcomers and passers-by and provide information about the region, the town's development, the green initiatives ongoing, etc. Most of the structure would be preserved except the three hollowed out gables.
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