Space Group

ArchDaily nominee, Best Building of the Year 2022!
SpaceGroup/ VI with Betongpark, DIFK, Franco Bløchlinger, LightBureau.

https://boty.archdaily.com/us/2022/candidates/144613/ruten-park-slash-spacegroup?__FB_PRIVATE_TRACKING__=%7B%22loggedout_browser_id%22%3A%22bacd64f4ec6d51137b8d1a8b9ded5da8d8c54513%22%7D&fbclid=IwAR38F2X4rgljqeFKudGFbjJCZDndWaKu-EjFY9hU9HQkVZ6AlzXLavdM55U

Building of the Year 2022 Vote for Ruten Park / SpaceGroup

In 2019, Spacegroup has been engaged by the Holmestrand municipality to study the development opportunities for the Hakan/Krana area in central Holmestrand. The feasibility study is the result of a broad involvement of the actors working in the area today, and the inhabitants of Holmestrand. Everyone agrees that the area has a significantly greater potential for the city than how it is used today, and through the process have made many proposals for a change in use of the harbour area. The proposals focus on freeing up larger areas for recreation to facilitate activities that enable residents and visitors to use the area as an attraction destination in the city. The purpose of the Feasibility Study has been to identify dependencies between the actors operating in the area today, make the resources in the area visible and what values ​​can contribute to securing future-oriented decisions for the area.

Eventually making accessible larger parts of Langøya for public traffic, this area will become a new resource for Holmestrand with great recreational and commercial value. The goal is for Hakan / Krana to become an integral part of Holmestrand city center, and a year-round destination that integrates the city with the sea for the benefit of those who work, live and visit Holmestrand.

Experiences from other cities indicates that it is a great advantage that the municipality remains a landowner and rents out the land resources for desired purposes. A good urban planning strategy is the fastest and most affordable way to a low-emission society based on proven principles of mix of functions and proximity for daily life activities without pushing the problem onto future generations and seeking for technological innovation to solve it.

Completed in 2016, Hammerbakken House is a mediation between the highly particular needs of a handicapped child and the domestic needs of a family. A low-budget private residence, the client requested ’quantity over quality’ in order to maximize the child’s usable space and on-site experiences.

The residence is elevated to allow direct car access to the entrance and lift. Above, a sequence of volumes folds around a private garden. A pool completes the loop. Prefabricated concrete was chosen for its robust and durable qualities, and detailing was kept to a minimum. The residence is extremely open, with large common spaces oriented to capture a rich variety of views, but also offers the possibility to withdraw into individual enclosures, acknowledging the need for privacy.

Photography: Jeroen Musch