Klaksvik City Center / Kubota & Bachmann Architects

Designed by Kubota & Bachmann Architects, the Klaksvik City Center proposal aims at creating an environment describing the essence of Klaksvík with the new layer of today´s life. They do so through the design of an urban space for people to meet, engage, and live a modern lifestyle. As a result, the center defines itself as a place for communication, for the experience of individuality, of social diversity, urban density and productive discussion. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The first step towards future Klasvík is a central situated square referring to the former landscape (the beach) in formations of the ancient building material the stone and the new industrial history – the beginning of Klaksvík – the stone pavements for drying fish.

The core of the intent is an outdoor space for everyone to meet in. Around this space – the square – there are protective walls against the harsh wind. The walls consist of buildings, a green house and a windscreen. The buildings are surrounded by a green recreational area and a marina with promenade decks.

On one side of the square, there is housing and shopping and on the other side there is culture, hotels and administration. Leading to this meeting place is a local bus line, the country bus line, and the helicopter and the ships going to the north islands. The Square is connecting to the surrounding by a footbridge and paths to and from the area and a lead to the parking beneath the square. The square itself is an interpretation of the landscape before by tilting down to the sea as the beach before. The square is a stone pavement in coarse stone resembling the old man-made and hand built stone pavements.

This new space in an urban context with a feel the human scale in its size and reference will be inhabited by people meeting going from place to place, from building to building, from children playing on the «beach» and on the square, from people having coffee outside, reading in front of the library in the sun, playing music at festivals, outdoor film evenings , boat race, gymnastics and people meeting for a coffee after a promenade.

Architects: Kubota & Bachmann Architects
Location: Klaksvík, Faroe Islands
Designers: Toshihiro Kubota, Yves Bachmann
Advisor: Michel Calzada
Landscape Architect: Bassinet Turquin Paysage
Environmental Engineer: Oyvind Vessia
Architects: Mara Papavasiliou, Pierre Voirin, Meduna Dalsgaard, Robert Waagstein, Katherine Kovalcik
Perspective: Michael Gloudeman
Client: Klaksvík Town Municipality
Type of Competition: Open International Competition
Program: Apartment, Commerce, Administration office, Tourist information office, Hotel, Library, Sailing sea museum, culture house, bus terminal, versailles orangerie concept glass house, parking and public square
Site Area: Competition Study Area: 7.6 ha
Result: (June 2012) Competition Entry
Competition Entry Submission: April 2012