earth drifts - purchase prize

earth drifts
larvik inner harbour - international competition of urban planning

There’s the North, there’s the far North, and there’s the southern part of the North. The southern part of the North is not the North. The North reasons and proceeds. The North contemplates itself and tells its own tale: its South, always rough but far away from zero, forms an open door, letting in a milder climate, creating a breeding ground for new inspirations.

Reclaim the sea
Our ‘Earth drifts’ design is influenced by the already existing movements of Larvik and the Inner Harbour with its moles and jetties. A network of visual connections, bridges and paths generates a dynamic interface with the adjacent areas, the town centre and its main square, articulating a transition between the town and the waterfront. As a result we propose symbolic and functional gateways and public crossings over the barrier of the railway tracks which presently divide the town centre and the seaside. Two new citizen’s bridges – one lined with shops and the other one attached to a new public library – span the tracks connecting the northern part of the town with the fjord. These new bridges, further intersections and walkways are directed towards the sea and towards new horizons, opening up the town centre to future perspectives.

The Water Park
The main idea in our concept is a Water Park offering a direct contact to the sea: Recreational and intellectual activities, such as taking a walk, swimming, thinking and learning, drinking and eating will take place in front of the open horizon while smelling a fresh sea breeze. One of the seaside promenades, however, will not be – as usual – located next to the sea, but cross the sea directly, making it possible to feel, smell, taste and touch the wind, the weather and the water. A rotating lookout-platform will confirm the role of the seafront and turn its head into different directions according to the season, the time of day, the sight or the weather.

‘Floating’ pools as bridges to the sea
Following the natural desire of bathing in the sea, we suggest a number of ‘bathing ships’ - apparently floating in the sea. The pools will be filled with preheated water, allow an unobstructed view across the sea when swimming, and be complemented with wooden bridges. The adjoining western mole will take the function of an additional sun terrace. During the winter a two-layered membrane will be spanned over the bathing zones maintaining a combination of translucent and transparent surfaces. The space between the membranes will be filled with air to optimise insulation and guarantee a comfortable interior temperature even when it is extremely cold outside. This membrane structure will divide the ‘bathing ships’ into three separate indoor pool areas.

New public library - Café - Space for changing exhibitions – Lookout-Platform
As already described, our project is offering a large amount of recreational and intellectual activities, some of them located in buildings spread across the site: a new public library, an indoor space for changing exhibitions, a rotational lookout-point and a café. The buildings’ appearances will underline the idea of being folded out of the different lines intersecting on the site, contrasting and strengthening the landscape carpet’s geometry. Their elongated sculptures will lean towards the fjord in a ‘choreographed’ movement, finishing in the raised head of the rotating platform, mirrored on the surface of the sea. The building’s outer skins are structures in corten, reminding the bodies of stranded ships, the typical Larvik granite or white concrete as a neutral material, especially considerable for the interiors. Wide openings will allow excellent views of the fjord. The tectonic movements of the new buildings and the park will actively bind the different parts of the town together, forming a link between the different kinds of town fabrics and the surrounding landscape, connecting them in a dynamic way.

staff: dott. arch. michelangelo acciaro, dipl. ing. nora lau

Date of completion: 2008