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Architects: Sweco Architects
- Year: 2019
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Photographs: Tommie Ohlson
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Manufacturers: Bygma, Cramo, SCA
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Lead Architects: Martin Björklund, John Grundström
Text description provided by the architects. ArkNat 2019 – a Scandinavian Architectural Festival. ArkNat is an architectural festival where students from different Scandinavian schools of architecture create architecture which lets us see, live and experience nature in new ways. The High Coast area in the Gulf of Bothnia is designated a World heritage. It’s a place of spectacular nature and breathtaking views. Here, outdoorsman and entrepreneur Jerry Engström from Friluftsbyn teamed up with Sweco Architects to create this event.
Just like ArkNat 2017 and 2018 the students focused on three different sites where new resting stops or shelters were constructed with special attention to the relation with the surrounding nature.Stranded, Lövvik A large stone by the beach is the starting point for the design of this wind shelter. The expression of the shelter should reflect the beach's barren large-scale landscape consisting of stones of various sizes that meet the sea.
The pure elements of pebble beach, sea and forest are found in the clean design of the windshield consisting of large elements of pine. The shelter is built to form cohesive lines from ceiling to floor. These lines are in harmony with the stones and lead the view out to the sea. Behind the large stone, a naturally protected place is created.
The wind shelter is reminiscent of a stranded ship that rises from the ground and extends out to sea. The goal is for the shelter to blend in more and more with the landscape as time passes. Thanks to the sun and wind, the wood will eventually get a natural shade of gray like the stones in its surroundings. Our hope is that the solid structure will create a welcome protection for visitors in all weather conditions for a long time.
Off-centered, Småtjärnarna The wind shelter lies off the High Coast Trail, in a clearing near Småtjärnarna lake. The plot is somewhat hidden from the trail, but as you approach you are greeted by a mature pine tree and a unique rock which mark the site’s center. The rock tops a two-meter drop to the forest floor below, and then the landscape falls away towards Veckefjärden, so one is drawn to stand on top of it and admire the view.
Off-centered was conceived as means to enable one to experience multiple aspects of the site, highlighting its beauty and capturing key viewpoints. Our intervention consists of two platforms: one supported by an off-center tree trunk, which suspends a cabin above the rock; and one which surrounds the pine tree. A stepped path connects the two and creates a strong axis through the site. The path and platforms are treated identically – open slats give views to the floor below with randomly placed spacers to mirror the organic forms of the forest.
Sitting or standing on the various path levels lets you connect with the environment in different orientations, taking advantage of the changing light conditions. The juxtaposition of the cabin above the rock creates a sheltered den like space below, where you can enjoy a sense of being grounded – close to the rough textures of the rock and the blueberry undergrowth strewn across the forest floor.
He, Värnsberget. He, [:he], is a word that occurs frequently among the Swedish dialects in the regions of Norrland. He can be an action. To lift, throw, put or move something.He is an alternative wind shelter for the lone hiker. It is located on Värnsberget in Docksta and situated in unpaved terrain and off-track from the popular Höga Kusten-trail. Hidden, but at the same time a place where one can view the magnificent surrounding landscapes that have slowly emerged out of the sea after the glacial periods.
The land is still rising with approximately 8mm every year. The entire construction is visually hovering despite its weight and solidness. Through its architectural two-sidedness one can constantly change the experience of the shelter. By tilting the main body, the visitor can either seek protection inwards by the rock or seek out a beautifully framed view towards the northern bay. And If you dare to, let the legs dangle over the crevice that spreads out under the cantilever that protrudes into the air and imagine it was once a small little boat dock by the coastline only a few thousand years ago.
