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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Skjervet in Granvin kommune, Norway by Fortunen ASAugust 6th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: v2com On the site of Skjervsfossen (Skjervet waterfall), Fortunen have designed a small service building consisting of two restrooms and a small technical room, while the landscape design is made by Østengen & Bergo. The client, Nasjonale turistveger, challenged Fortunen and Østengen & Bergo to accentuate and enhance the experience of the natural landscape, whilst not competing with it. The overall aspiration was to create a unique and surprising experience. The main concept has been to make the wild nature accessible without hurting it.  The outside is rough, covered with large pieces of local stone. The inside is warm, both in colour and material, Image Courtesy © Steinar Skaar
 The building is expressed as taking a piece out of the rock and moving it to the opposite side of the river, Image Courtesy © Steinar Skaar The service building designed by Fortunen AS is the winner of the World Architecture News Small Spaces Award 2016. The wider context surrounding the building is both breath-taking and exciting. The river Storelvi flows from a semi-open agricultural landscape, into a narrow channel formed by rock, finally dropping dramatically, creating the impressive two-step waterfall. The building itself sits within a larger open landscape and takes advantage of wide views towards the steep mountain walls, and the moving valley. Rough, yet poetic walking paths and steps, laid by a team of Sherpa’s from Nepal, pass through the landscape.  Curved out of the rock and relocated to the other side of the riverbank, Image Courtesy © Steinar Skaar During the analysis of the site, Østengen & Bergo found several points of cultural interest in the area around Skjervsfossen. The terrain is steep and was almost impossible to move through, and a trail made of natural stone became a central nerve of the project. It connects the different experiences of the waterfall and places of interest, creating a meeting of nature and culture. The trail is formed in terrain, and represents a different design than the more stringent formed universal pathways and service area with parking, restroom and picnic facilities.  Image Courtesy © Vidar Herre The building itself is located within a larger open landscape and takes advantage of wide views towards the steep mountain walls, and the moving valley. Creating strong references to the site and its surroundings was an important feature of the project. The building appears as a small piece of the mountain, carved out of the rock and relocated to the other side of the riverbank. The shape makes it a non-house, being a sculpture of the solid rock. Fortunen had a desire to create an interior distinct from its external setting. Contrasting the outside solid rock, the internal walls are covered with deep, warm coloured plywood. A sharp glazed section of wall opens towards the river, creating views over the moving water, forest and mountains beyond which rises towards the sky.  Image Courtesy © Vidar Herre Local, natural stone is the main material in the restroom building, service area and nature trails. The colour scheme is carefully adapted to the environment, with robust designed fences in rebar (reinforcement iron) and benches in concrete. Tufts of removed grass was stored during construction and put back in place afterwards. Both in design and execution phase, the rough landscape and rich vegetation by the waterfall has been treated as fragile. The architect’s and landscape architect’s intention has been to make gentle interventions that look like they have always been in this terrain – despite their modern form. The combination of contemporary form, ancient craft and local materials create a timeless dimension to the project.  Image Courtesy © Vidar Herre About Fortunen AS Fortunen AS is an architecture company based in Bergen, Norway, with 18 employees. They work in a diverse range of scales from objects, houses, city-planning to landscape. The company was established in 1997. Fortunen AS covers object, interior, landscape and building design.  The inside of the building is covered with warm coloured plywood of pine, Image Courtesy © Fortunen AS This gives them the greatest possibility to have a holistic approach from the very start. In their philosophy, the human and the environment are the focus, and goal of their effort. Fortunen AS love using color and natural materials in their architecture.  From the inside you are directly confronted with the river, the rocky landscape and the sky, Image Courtesy © Fortunen AS About Østengen & Bergo Kari Bergo, born 1967, established Østengen & Bergo Landscape Architects AS together with Johan Østengen in 1996. The office is based in Oslo, Norway and works in a wide range of range of projects. Nils Johan Mannsåker, born 1957 is a Norwegian architect and founder of Fortunen AS. The office is based in Bergen, Norway.  A strong reference to the site and its surroundings, Image Courtesy © Jarle Waehler  The lower Ledge: The lower ledge invites the visitor to the side of the waterfall. On this quiet place, the visitor can admire the fall up close with no spray or mist, Image Courtesy © Pål Hoff  The national Tourist Routes of Norway, on the site of Skjervsfossen. The project invites visitors to tune into and enjoy the landscape. The viewpoints offer different experiences of the waterfall; either by looking at the wild river flow just before it drops, feeling the excitement, standing on the edge of the fall, listening to the rumbling of the cascade in the lush forest, or experiencing the extreme power of the water at the foot of the fall, Image Courtesy © Fortunen AS  The building as a small piece of the mountain, Image Courtesy © Fortunen AS  A small restroom building consisting of two small restrooms and a small technical room, Image Courtesy © Fortunen AS
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Tags: Granvin kommune, Norway Categories: Building, Public Restroom |
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