Roa (NO)

SITE / CONTEXT

Roa, nestled north of Oslo, faces a paradox. While its sister villages thrive as Oslo suburbs, the northernmost settlement of Lunner Municipality Roa, stagnates, seemingly "just a little too far away” from the metropolitan boom. Fragmented and dispersed planning and a dearth of public spaces further erode its appeal. Ironically, its strategic location sitting just outside of a newly established road toll is making Roa increasingly attractive to larger industries and big-box retailers.
Norway's unique geography, climate, and rugged terrain have led to the development of numerous communities with a car- based suburban structure. Additionally, Norway's economy has traditionally been based on resource extraction and agriculture, which has led to the development of smaller, dispersed communities like Roa. These settlements often lack the infrastructure and amenities of a traditional city center, such as public transportation, walkability, and mixed-use zoning. Often, these communities are characterized by an aging population, as the younger generations move to the cities in search of work. Thanks to better healthcare, nutrition, and living conditions, life expectancy is high, and people are living longer than before. Coupled with a rapidly declining birth rate and decrease in fertility, this results in fewer young people and, essentially, fewer hands at work. Norway is no exception to this. Neither is Roa.
The aging population, commonly known as “eldrebølgen,” will increase the demand for healthcare and support services, putting significant strain on the health system and its resources, personnel, and infrastructure. The very fabric of Roa – its dispersed single-family housing model – will aggravate these pressures. The fact that Roa needs 300 senior-adapted housing units underscores the urgency of addressing this demographic shift.
The need for housing, coupled with the need for modern medical facilities, a new library, and much-needed public spaces, presents a chance to reinvent the village centre. The former Frøystad school grounds and a soon-to-be-vacant industrial site offer a whole new chance to rethink the centre of Roa. It is essential for these housing units to be built as inclusive communities that prioritize social connections among residents and public spaces that give youth an elderly chances to meet and hang out all year. The vision is bold: to transform these sites into mixed-use neighborhoods, converging at the main street, breathing life into a new village heart.

QUESTIONS TO THE COMPETITORS

The task is about generating a vision for how the site can be transformed with housing, social and physical activities for young and elderly people as well as a few key services.
The second objective of the competition is to explore how developing Frøystad can be the starting point to help structure a denser, more attractive, and inclusive center in Roa beyond the project site, in a way that can free up brownfields for development to ease the pressure on virgin lands.