Hammerfest Noorwegen

First life, then public space, then buildings
We based our scheme on three priorities:
1. life
2. public space/ urban plan
3. buildings
Main purpose is to make this area a pleasant and positive place to live both for passengers and inhabitants. The second priority, public space including sight, is placed subordinate to life. This means that the public space serves the living in this area. Third priority are the buildings in the area. The design and location of the buildings are deduced from the first and second priority.

1. Life
Life and living are the basis of this project. We believe that the basis for life is evolution, wealth and growth in many different ways. This scheme is a matrix for culture, social, economic and knowledge growth and wealth. Meeting, socializing and learning are hereby important and therefore integrated aspects in every part of this scheme.

2. Public space/ urban plan
In scheming the public space we have reckoned three aspects:
 Dynamic (walking, driving through the area),
 Static (staying in the area), and
 Inside (because of the climate we moved some public spaces inside).

2.1 Access to and traffic in the area
In the scheme we made four are accesses from the Strandgata to the quayside. All accesses will be suitable for pedestrians and autos. In the middle of the routes are little piazzas where passers can sit down on shielded benches. Note: the benches are put together like a school of fish. All routes in the area are diagonal with regards to the Strandgata and the quayside. This makes it possible for passengers to shorten their route going from A to B. Moreover this provides a beautiful sight on the old centre of Hammerfest and the landscape.

2.2 Harbour
Three new mooring quays will replace the existing quay. All quays are hollow and are designed to function as parking areas (see 2.3). The largest quay is a mooring quay for cruise ships, the smallest quay is for local speedboats and minor charter ships, and the third quay is for fishing vessels. Recreational boats can moor in the marina. At the rear end of the two largest quays a cafe is placed. The cafe’s are meeting places for fishermen or for tourists. The cafe on the largest quay provides a beautiful view over the city and the sea. The other cafe provides a view over the inner bay. The smallest quay, or stage quay, can be used as a stage for music groups. The tribune for the audience is on the main quay. All quays have a shielded passage for pedestrians, on top of the passage a promenade is built.

2.3 Parking
To improve the urban picture all parking areas are underground. Cars can be parked in the quays and busses can be parked in a parking area under the Knowledge Center.
The amount of parking places is enough to supply also other urban functions. In summertime it may even be possible to create a carfree city centre.
From the parking area under the Knowledge Center people can walk through a tube that leads to the Culture Center. This tube is also connected with the marina and the largest mooring quay. This makes it possible to reach from the parking area of the largest quay indoors the Culture Center and/ or the Knowledge Center.

3. Buildings
We have designed four multifunctional centers. All centers can function as separate unities. In each building are places to socialize, to learn and to relax. To create functional or social connections between people and buildings it is possible to connect the separate buildings and enlarge the possibilities. Because of the weather we made all buildings and facilities reachable indoors.

3.1 An overview
3.1.1 Culture Center
The Arctic Culture Center is located in the middle of the competition area. All functions and detailed specifications (culture house, culture school, stage for dance and rehearsal rooms for LINK) are located in this building. There is also a lobby for congresses that in a next phase can be used as the hotel lobby. To keep the outline of the building relative small and to use the area efficient, all required functions are amassed and put together to a compact entirety.
In a next phase a congress hotel with public functions, can be amassed upon the ACC. The specific demands for rooms, spa functions and a restaurant are taken into account. In the lobby of the Arctic Culture Centre (hotel) guests can check in and go up by elevator right away to their hotel room, the swimming pool or a congress room. Because all functions in the hotel are public, we created a so-called main street on the seventh and eighth floor. This elevated main street gives access to all functions of the hotel and potential to the Social and Economic Center; a small elevated village originates.
There are several public facilities in this building that provide meeting and relaxing: first of all the theatre functions and the foyers, furthermore the restaurants and spa functions. Moreover there is a discotheque on the ninth floor, which is not only for meant for hotel guests but also accessible for others. For example, dancers from the Regional stage for dance can give a performance in the discotheque.
The combination of the ACC with congress hotel gives possibilities to exploit congresses or symposia of different sizes. On several floors are restaurants and congress rooms. There are also catering facilities both in the ACC and in the hotel. Expansion of the number of congress members is possible by using other buildings and the potential use of cruise ships for congress members to pass the night.

3.1.2 Social Center
The building at the south side of the ACC will fulfil a social function for residents and visitors of Hammerfest. This building serves as connection between the old and new centre of Hammerfest.
On the first floor will be a Shopping centre, with in the middle a piazza. Because the centre is covered it will be an attractive place to shop. On the second, third and fourth floor are dwellings for elderly. On each floor there is an open area where residents can get together. From each floor it’s possible to look down to the piazza on the first floor. This provides contact with other floors. At this point we have reckoned with the fact that elderly will be more often at home than others. They create a “living” building. Besides dwellings there will be a children’s playground and a day-care centre. On the fifth floor there will be a meeting place for the residents. Different kinds of activities will be organized here by social workers. Habitants can attend courses (for example on painting or cooking) or they can join a club (for example playing cards or a choir). Furthermore residents can also go there just to drink a cup of coffee and read the newspaper. On each floor are offices at the north side of the building; these can be used by social workers. Finally: on the fifth floor the elevator of this building gives access to the elevated main street of the Culture Center.

3.1.3 Economic Center
A Business centre will be built at the north side of the ACC. In this centre businessmen get the chance to start their new enterprise. They can start an office at home. Several small apartments together with a small office are let. Beside residents pay a small amount for a common floor. On the common floor are several facilities that can be used by each businessman. For example computers, fax machine, copier etcetera. There are also assembling rooms at the side of Strandgata. At the quayside will be a partly indoor and a partly outdoor workplace. The chambers at north and south side of the building will be reserved for offices. A piazza and a lunchroom/ canteen function as a meeting place where also knowledge can be exchanged.
From the Economic building it is also possible to reach the Culture Center indoor: on the fourth floor the elevator gives access to the elevated main street of the Culture Center.

3.1.4 Knowledge Center
The fourth building in the Findus area will function as a Centre for Research and Development and at the same time as a Museum.
Specialists all over the world can meet and stay in the Centre for R&D and do research to develop for example new forms of energy winning. Researchers can rent an apartment for a longer stay.
Considering the museum: there are different subjects which can be a topic for an exhibition, for example the history and future of Hammerfest, it’s culture and architecture, Hammerfest as multi-energy town, the rebuilding of Hammerfest, etcetera.
The Knowledge Center is connected with the Culture Center by means of a tube: a covered passage for pedestrians that ends in the lobby of the ACC. This is advantageously for researchers and museum visitors: all facilities (hotel/ theatre and conference rooms) can be reached indoor. Under the Knowledge Center is a Parking area for autobusses (see paragraph 2.3) so large groups can visit the museum and the ACC.

3.2 Energy and climate
In the plan different kinds of energy winning are taken into account.
 Each building has a climate zone which supplies durable energy. The climate zone is to be compared with a jacket: it provides isolation, ventilation (during summer: outside air, during winter: inside air), direct heating (via the tubes in the construction and floor, see next point) and indirect heating (sun energy). The walls are made of glass and it are placed 2,5 meters from the outer wall.
 For the heating of the buildings in the area we designed a durable heating system. Under the big auditorium in the ACC are build two reservoirs; one filled with cold and one with warm water. Between the reservoirs are ecosystems and pumps that regulate the heating and cooling of the water. To cool the water a hollow pipe goes down in the ground and the water will be cooled by underground water of the sea. To get warm water, the water in the pipes is heated through the earth warmth and/ or through the (heated) cooling water from kogen plant. When a surplus of warmth arises it will be stored in the earth, and can be used when the weather is getting colder.
At first this ecosystem will require a big investment, but we want to emphasize that on the long term it will be an inexpensive and durable heating system.
 A windmill on the roof of the museum is a symbol for energy winning in the area.

3.3 Logistics, access to and traffic in the buildings
Divers entries in the climate zone give access to each building. For passengers it is possible to walk through the climate zone along each building. Advantage thereof is that people can walk warm and dry through the largest part of the Findus area and meanwhile they pass shops, offices, cafe’s et cetera.
The climate zone in the Social Center makes it for residents possible to create shielded outdoor areas.
In the ACC visitors can arrive at each floor via the climate zone. Moreover the zone functions here as an emergency exit.

Inside each building elevators and staircases give access to each floor. The elevators in the ACC are two sided, one for public and one for staff. The routes of public and staff are fully separated. Visitors normally go up and down via the climate zone or elevator. Staff normally goes up and down by the (service) elevator and the indoor route.

Hotel guests only can reach the hotel by the elevator. Inside the elevated main street gives access to each floor. Via the sloping paths, which look like waves, hotel guests can reach each floor. Guests can reach quicker or slower the next floor because one path is steeper than the other.

The elevated main street gives access to the Social, Culture and the Economic Center. Via the tube it’s possible to go indoor from the Culture Center to the marina, to the Knowledge Center and to the parking area in the largest quay where cruise ships moor.

All floors, elevators, toilets etcetera in the buildings are accessible for disabled people.

The loading and unloading of objects for all functions in the Culture Center takes place at the north side of the building. There is a shielded parking place. When the goods are brought inside, they directly can be placed on a hydraulic platform and go up or down to each floor in the Culture Center. Because of the largeness, the block and tackle and the hydraulic platform it is possible to move every object, also for example very large and heavy stage settings.

3.4 Specials in the ACC
 Performers on the stage of the big auditorium can perform in three ways: for audience in the big auditorium, for audience in the foyer and for both audiences. The openings can be closed with soundproof walls;
 When the big auditorium is used as cinema, the stage can be fully closed and can be used to built a stage setting or to rehearse;
 Right above the dancing floor in the foyer on the first floor a void in the ceiling gives sight to the underside of the jacuzzi on the seventh floor. Because that underside is made from glass one can look up to the people in the jacuzzi!;
 Part of the chairs and tables of the restaurant in the foyer on the first floor can be placed in climate zone, which provides a perfect bay view;
 A loggia on the second floor makes it possible for a band or dj to perform for an audience in the foyer on the first floor;
 The under stage in the cellar can function as orchestra pit, dressing room or storage;
 Stage settings can be hung out of sight above the stage of the big auditorium;
 To exploit a congress different sizes of rooms are available: the big and small auditorium and two congress rooms at the north and south side of the Culture Center. The congress room at the north side on the eighth floor has a terrace, which can also be shut. In case these rooms together aren’t large enough to exploit a congress it is possible to join two hotel rooms or to use rooms in other buildings. When it is not possible to provide for each congress member a sleeping place, more accommodations can be supplied on a cruise ship or in one of the other centers.

3.5 Relation to fisheries, sea, city and mountains
Our scheme has several direct and indirect links with the history, culture and environment of Hammerfest. The central theme of the design of the buildings is derived from the fact that Hammerfest is a town with traditions and activities in the processing and cultivation of fish. When people walk in or drive through the Findus area they directly can see the link to the fisheries because the exterior upper coverings of the buildings are figured like fish and the form of the buildings is like a ship.
Second theme is the environment: the sea, mountains and city give inspiration and energy for performers, staff, residents and others. On each floor in all buildings people look out over the mountains on one side and sea on the other side. Out of the culture school on the third floor of the ACC one has a fantastic view over the old centre and the sea. The whole outer wall of the dance studio for the Regional stage for dance is made of glass, therefore the city, the mountains and the sea function as a decor for the dancers.
In the jacuzzi and the discotheque hotel people have a perfect view over the city and the sea. The sight will be more special when night falls. Las but not least: the forms of sea waves come back in the sloping paths of the hotel hallways.

4. Phasing
The buildings as described in paragraph 3 can be built separately: in that case many options are possible, for example
1. ACC
2. ACC + hotel + parking
3. ACC + Social building + Knowledge building
4. ACC + Economic building + Parking
5. Et cetera.

The possibility of phasing refers to the first praragraph where we mentioned that evolution and growth are at the basis of this project. In describing all areas and functions we showed a matrix for culture, social, economic and knowledge growth and wealth. For the future of Hammerfest we wish that businesses will grow, people will learn and culture live develops.

.

gpa architecten 2005