Østmarka Therapeutical Landscapes
Østmarka (NO) - Runner-up
TEAM DATA
Associates: Alberto Roncelli (IT), Nicole Vettore (IT), Nathan Baudoin (FR) – architects
albertoroncelli1@gmail.com
https://albertoroncelli.com/
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TEAM PORTRAIT
VIDEO (by the team)
INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
Trondheim being one of the fastest growing city of Norway, Østmarka has become a strategic area for densification. The project addresses one of Europan 17 fundamental question: how to sensitively overcome the opposition between nature and anthropocentrism? Or in other world, how to densify in a world where nature and wild habitats are becoming so precious and fragile? Avoiding any preconditioned decisions, our project suggests a method that starts from a thorough understanding of the site and use the landscape as a key catalyst of change.
2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
The project is the result of an analytical and immersive approach focused of understanding the qualities of Østmarka, such as the outstanding views to the fjord, the building of historical importance, the extensive nature, the biodiversity, and the wildlife. Capitalising these existing qualities and making them accessible has been the base for our strategic urban refill.
PROJECT:
One of the main references we used is the Dynamo Camp in Tuscany that we visited last year. The camp is located on the Tuscan hills, 50 km from Pistoia and it is dedicated to offer recreational therapy for kids with serious or chronic pathologies. The camp is a mix of repurposed farm buildings and new structure that host different programs such the swimming pool, the canteen, the theatre, the music centre, and the homes. Despite the variety of activities offered, the key element is the landscape, which is used as a therapeutic and recreational tool, and highlights the therapeutical importance of being in close contact with nature. We used this concept as driver for our proposal.
SITE:
The scale of the project site, the uncertainties of its future and the complexity of its program has led us to frame the design into a clear - three phases strategy. More than a one-to-one path to be followed, this is the results of a processual approach that aims to ensure adaptability over time. Starting from the Phase 1, where the site is reactivated through few light interventions that bring early-stage values with the aim of gather feedbacks from neighbours and set the basis to co-design part of the area. Moving into Phase 2 and 3 where a transparent, open and continuous conversation across all the stakeholders will be crucial for the success of the project. We also believe that bringing on board experts as soon as possible would be highly beneficial (biologist, botanists, landscapers, therapists, etc)
REFERENCES:
Alberto and Nicole have studied together, and they moved together in Copenhagen to work, that´s where they met with Nathan. This has been our first experience to work as a trio. While in their everyday job Nicole and Nathan are focusing on large scale urban and architectural projects, Alberto works as circular design specialist with a focus on sustainability, circular design, and architectural research. These diverse skills helped the collaboration.
6. How could this prize help you in your professional career?
This award is definitely an important step in our career. It gives us the confidence to continue exploring and testing the topics and approaches that interest us.
TEAM IDENTITY
Legal status:
Team name:
Average age of the associates: 28 years old
Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? if so, which ones?
Alberto and Nicole got awards in competitions such as Superscape, Ethical Design Award, Prix Wilmotte and the Prix de Genève for Experimental Architecture. Alberto got appointed as LINA fellow in 2023 with the design research “The Grafted City”.
WORKS:
