PROJECT DESCRIPTION 8th of August 2011

The ongoing demographic development is elevating senior citizens to the majority of the population. This will challenge the existing distribution and typologies of housing the seniors. The prevalent institution model is not coherent with an urban situation.

I find the demographic development powerful and opening for a shift towards more including physical spaces for housing and urban spaces. I´d like to explore the notion of a “soft urbanity”, enabling seniors as “urban agents”.

It is interesting to integrate the housing of seniors directly into an urban context. The evident demographic development and the urban situations as we know it, will then be introduced to new spatial qualities and improved situations for the individual use of urban space and the town itself.

The historic surroundings in the coastal town centre of Florø will serve as my testing ground for these new formats, using place specific qualities, but also having strong relevance to coastal towns in Norway in general. Florø have around 11500 inhabitants and was founded in 1860.

I wanted to explore and develop a thorough analytic background for my architectural interventions. In the introductory social anthropology essay (February) I discussed the historic fragmentation of institution housing. I connected this to the urban context of the towns of Florø and Førde in Western Norway.

Also included in the exhibiton are short essays on the individual and collective tackling of age, the history of senior care, the history of Florø town and other explorations connected to the final project.

Central to the argument of my project is that Florø needs activation. I see this could enable the town to thrive better, create good spaces outdoors for seniors and everyone. Furthermore this can serve as a model on how to tackle the demographic change, popularly nicknamed “the Age Wave”.

Architectural implications include densification of downtown Florø, adapting spaces-in-between for pedestrians and to a greater extent zoning for mixed-use in new and existing buildings.

In the project, I have explored activation of the waterfront of Florø in 3 zones (in 1:500). I home in on an architectural intervention with apartments and services (1:200 and 1:100) to serve the theme of a urban layer for senior citizens. In addition to this, I have developed a thorough and ecologic scheme for use of materials in the apartments. I have aimed at principles like phase-shifting and hygroscopic materials, low embedded energy and adapting for recycling and reuse of materials.

During the months of work, I have also published articles in 2 newspapers, been interviewed in Florø and authored a blog with 2000 hits. I find these actions important tools of keeping the discussion and production of architecture relevant and powerful.