Date: 17 July 07
Author: Per Kartvedt
Email this Article
| Click to Print
Harbours take a long time to die, but dying they are, in many cases. In Oslo this process started in earnest around thirty years ago. As slowly and surely as the ships moved out; the developers moved in.
Yet despite all the changes, Oslo’s harbour is still very much alive. Sitting at the end of the Oslo Fjord, a huge water basin dotted with islands, the harbour itself is surrounded by two bays. Small ferries frequently scuttle across. Large ferries to Kiel and Copenhagen and enormous cruise ships are also regular visitors. In the summer there is a swarm of leisure and sailing boats. It is all very picturesque and beautiful. A much needed overall strategy for the harbour areas was adopted by the City of Oslo Council in 2000. ‘The Fjord City’, as it is known, identified “urban renewal of a string of waterfront properties in the heart of the city.” Most of the properties earmarked for renewal were used for harbour activities - some still are - and others are former industrial sites. In addition there are lots of used and disused railway tracks, roads and bits and pieces of a four lane motorway. All in all there are some 225 hectacres of development area stretched along 12 kilometres facing south and west with the city centre right behind. In other words, it is a prime site.
The Oslo Waterfront Planning Office mission is as follows: “we want to open up the waterfront areas for recreational, residential and commercial use, with emphasis on public access, public and private transport and sustainable development.” With everyone going Gung-ho to get their bit in, this isn’t proving easy. Fjord City as a whole is worth a visit (http://www.oslo.technopole.no/fjordcity/), however there is one most surprising proposal amongst all the profit-led developer projects that is worth a closer look. It is called ‘Noa´s Park’, and is essentially a park on water. It is linked to the development of an area which is still used as a container harbour and consists of a series of floating islands held together by a 15 to 20 metre ‘spine’ that hooks on to the quayside in two places.
The technology involved in Noa’s Park is well-known and well-tested, durable and cheap. This involves concrete floaters, which are closed rectangular concrete boxes (5 meters wide, 10 to 20 meters long, 3 to 5 meters deep) that can be linked together into larger units and given more or less any shape or form. They are anchored with ‘North Sea Chains’, which are used in the offshore industry. These floaters can be produced elsewhere and towed into place. They weigh around 2 tonnes per square metre and can carry another ton and a half of extra load per square metre. And they float!
It’s when you let the Norwegian architects Arne Henriksen AS and Jensen & Skodvin AS loose on the idea that it really takes off. In their hands the ‘spine’ becomes a linear park. From this linear park spine you can get on to the islands by bridges and ramps - and this is where the fun begins.
The islands are joyfully given different characteristics and activities. There is the ‘Children´s Bath Island’; the ‘Kayak Hotel’; the ‘Diving Island’; the ‘Park Island’; the ‘Wilderness Island’; floating islands for art installations, fireworks and bonfires; and much more. And of course you can jump in for a swim too. Visit the architects’ websites (http://www.jsa.no/projects.html and http://www.ah-arkitekter.no), look for ‘Filipstad Sjopark’, and you will be taken for a wonderful dip into this sea park of delights. You will also encounter a model report, which is great, but in Norwegian.
There is an exuberance and tongue-in-cheek sense of humour in this scheme that is very refreshing. Norwegian architecture, although generally of a very high quality, runs on a very narrow track. This gleefully breaks the mould. What remains to be seen is if the politicians and developers have the imagination and courage to go ahead. If not, this string of pearls can easily be cut loose from the quayside, lift anchor and sail away.
Fancy a private island? Then get in touch!
