ÅS
SHARE ÅS
PRINCIPLES OF AN ADAPTABLE URBANITY What is adaptability? It is the ability to react to your environment and live with the resources available. An adaptable town shares space and co-creates solutions - between indiviuals and families, business and institutions, public and private actors. The strategy for Ås center introduces more defined routes, public squares, activities and green areas with a stronger program and identity. The increase of build fabric in the center can support Ås as regional hub with an attractive working, shopping and leisure environment - and it can point toward a more adaptable urbanity.
How a town relates to nature?
Sustainable urbanity: landscape city
A striking feature of Ås is the strong connection to the surrounding landscape. The challenge is to ensure an intelligent way of intertwining landscape and urbanity to connect the existing urban fabric and functions in a sustainable way - ecologically, socially, economically.
For the long-term development of Ås we propose a range of strategies that sustain more nature and more urbanity at the same time. Rather than traditional urban (or suburban) development that spreads like rings around a centre (or is parcelled out), we promote intense urbanity penetrated by green corridors, fields, forests as well as new green parks, test zones and garden projects.
Smart densifying: more urban quality
Cross-pollinate: town and university
Core connections: an axis and a loop
We propose a densification of Ås town centre, notably around the station, the town hall complex and along the core axis to the university. To densify around the station makes sense in terms of public transportation and the regional context. The increase of build fabric enhances urban life and th quality of the town by concentrating life. The plan is robust and can adapt to the needs that arise by a significant growth of residents.
Bringing together university life and urbanity is key in the creation of new possibilities in Ås. Increasingly, it is in the intersections between university, business and an open urban environment that sustainable innovation and growth is created. We propose that university development is directed towards Ås – rather than further out of town – and explores new crossover functions in the intersection of urban experiments, agricultural labs, innovation and business.
We strengthen the connection between the town and the university, with a variety of approaches: a clear route for pedestrians and bikes integrating new functions and buildings. The connection integrates urbanity with the landscape and supports navigation. The competition site plays an important role in sustaining the loop that links together the centre of Ås and the university.
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Forest route
Northern Development: sharing green courtyards
REAL NATURE + REAL TOWN LIFE The main principle of Ås development plan is the combination of concentrated urban life and real nature throughout town. The plan combines smart densification typologies with diverse green programs – green corridors, parks, farming etc. – that are drawn into the town as defining elements. New developments are planned close to existing (sub) urban areas, while still having a strong connection to nature.
The northern development is planned around a central green corridor and intuitive links to Ås town centre. We propose a flexible open block structure, sharing different types of green: wild green, gardens and courtyards. Towards the singlefamily house area to the west, we propose lower townhouses. Towards the station and railway, buildings can be higher.
ÅS CENTRE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Loop to the university
Mega Lab
University info point Tandberg Plass
Rådhusplassen: library square
University test zone
Ås Centre: densifying smart Ås central Park
Food School Sports facilities Activity square
Central development: urban rural connections
Linking the town together Today the University is not present in Ås at all. The route from the centre to the university is unarticulated. Creating a variety of program and linking it with graphic elements, landscapes and experimental zones can link together the town and the university in new ways.
University farm lab
Buildings are proposed along the central road to enhance urban life on the route to and from the University. Great views across fields and landscape are available among more defined urban experiences. This structure will densify and qualify the city fabric, while respecting Ås’ strong link to the surrounding farmland. The plan can combine residential, office and conference program.
Open block structures
Townhouses and building blocks can create a relatively dense urban fabric, while still ensuring easy access to the landscape. Gardens, rather than being individualized, are offered as a shared nature experience.
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Seating landscape
Hotel & convention center
Moyerveien shopping street
Shared garden
The area around the town hall appears today as a leftover space. By building around the park, we define street quality on the outside and keep an intimate urban park program on the inside. Densifying selected areas along Rådhuset og Moerveien creates shopping streets and brings life to closed façades.
Shared gardens Fields
School Fields
Rather than the scattered parking spaces of today, we propose to focus Rådhusplassen around Ås Library and open the library to the square. Thus Ås gets a central square with a clear public function that relates to the new cultural facilities on the competition site.
Single building fill-ins
Single buildings can be used at a variety of places in Ås. The option can form a more dense urban fabric while still retaining qualities from the older buildings in Ås.
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A NEW HEART IN ÅS Tandberg Plass is the new heart of Ås that integrates public and private program, art and food, retail and student housing, urbanity and nature.
Re-use: adapting quality An adaptable urban strategy must reuse as much as possible of existing urban fabric and infrastructure. Keeping existing buildings not only supports sustainability. It sustains a historical and material experience that enforces local identity and expression. On the site, we keep the three main existing buildings and adapt them to new uses and functions.
A generous house for a square
Tying the town together
Program: mixing for more value
Landscape and roof: it’s alive
Student housing is placed along Brekkveien and towards the County Road. By encircling the square, the new building creates an inviting south-oriented square with public qualities. The building forms an angle and creates a more inviting and flowing space by narrowing both ends. The building offers an attractive façade towards south and west and scales down in order to respect the existing buildings on the site.
The plan ensures an attractive, public passage from the centre towards the University as well as new northern development. The student building’s corner - and highest point - is lifted in order to ensure an underlying passage to a potential northern development. The corner faces the landscape and the railway. Thus the building will be a meaningful beacon for Ås when arriving by train.
The central functions at the site is the Mega Lab - integrating culture, fine arts and start-up environment - and a new student housing building and study hall. To ensure economical, social and cultural sustainability, we build with a rather high FAR on the site. However, the square meters are distributed in a way that creates significant and attractive public spaces.
We reuse as much as possible of the existing greenery on the site. Existing trees are used in the new urban landscape. Accessible, green roofs that supports public life, exhibtions and urban gardening are proposed for the Mega Lab and the student housing.
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A HUB FOR SHARING The adaption of the site is based on the premise that sharing functions and mixing scientific, artistic and urban activities is key to a sustainable and innovative environment. Co-using streets, gardens, buildings, rooms and functions can make Ås a frontrunner in urban development.
Mega Lab: a hub for culture and food
Organizing Mega Lab
A green sign for Ås
Student building: smart together
The heart of the new cultural and knowledge area in Ås is Mega Lab – a hub for regional food, art and innovation. We recommend to integrate the vision of a museum for Odd Tandberg with a wider palette of cultural, social and innovation-related activities in Ås. By pooling the ressources, a surplus can be created that multiplies the individual investment.
Mega Lab could be organized as a public-private collaboration between the municipality, the university, the Tandberg estate and other private actors. Defining a precise program of Mega Lab requires a thorough process with local and regional stakeholders. However, the ability to make a creative, collaborative hub could put Ås on the map as a truly original integration of university and urban development.
The Student Building’s roof is planned as green areas that can offer a unique indentity and functionality to the residents. Furthermore it sends a strong message about Ås as a town with a sustainable direction, adapting to a new context.
The Student Building is structured as flexible, pragmatic units. The structure ensures privacy and social quality at the same time. The simpe layout makes future adaptions simple to realize.
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Ground floor
1st floor
Route to university Shops
Studietoriet
Double height social space
Art collection
Storage
Shops Café
Flexibition space
Outdoor terrace + exhibition place Shops
Market
Museum shop
Mixing program for people Restaurant
The layout of Tanberg Plass offers a unique public space with a strong, mixed program centered around Mega Lab and the Student Building. The existing Mega building structure is kept and developed with a new mixed program that supports the future ambitions of Ås as well as represents a viable business case. Mega Lab is enhanced to create attractive square meters for public purposes, such as market and shops.
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The first floor hosts the Tandberg museum and an outdoor terasse and exhibition garden. Second and third floor are turned into modern office spaces. The Student building’s center is “Studitoriet” - a study and workplace for students, alumni and others. At the top, the building offers an attractive view-point and party location.
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SHARE ÅS The core vision for the Share Ås project is creating a powerful hub for local and regional ressources - be it science, art, food or farming. An essential part of being an adaptable city is creating physical hubs where people can meet and exhange knowledge. The Tandberg Plass functions are intertwined with this purpose.
Mega Lab: crossing over Increasingly, it is by the borders between disciplines, innovation happens. At Mega Lab, the University of Life Science can explore new collaborations, showcase results and gain new knowledge. Local entrepreneurs, alumni, and other actors will have a natural hub for local and regional business.
The Ås Market
A sharing hub
The ground floor functions as a market with local shops, delicatessen and café that can showcase regional quality products.
The top floors can be modern offices and co-working spaces related to the university activities, innovation and local food production.
Studietoriet: living working The student housing is designed to make student life and knowledge sharing as easy and attractive as possible. The layout of the building offers both attractive private housing and supports social interaction. In the middle is the “studitorium” - a shared room for studying and co-working in an informal setting. It’s also a public space, which the whole of Ås can benefit from.
More than a museum More than a museum for Odd Tandberg, Mega Lab forms an interdisciplinary platform that integrates everyday culture, fine arts and start-up environment.
Living Lab Ås
Building structure
The University of Life Science is a forerunner within a variety of academic fields related to sustainability, food production and farming. Why not turn Ås into a living lab for university development? Areas in Ås could be used for quality food production, farm labs and nordic nature research. New production and distribution methods could be developed in collaboration with other regional insitutions or businesses.
The building is based on a simple structure to ensure an efficient and economical construction, maintenance and future flexibility. At the core is the vision of creating a building with at strong connection to public space and the outdoor.
New urban nature Ås has the potential to become a town where the working landscape is present. A variety of self-generated gardens and farming activities could be encouraged - along with the school, the university and relevant local actors. Traditionally, most small towns are characterized by low urban density, much leftover space and many private (suburban) properties. Rather than maintaining these privatized spaces, we propose both new and old types of natural typologies – drawing both on rural traditions and modern urban programs.
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Simpe units stacked
Units slided for balcony and views
Selected units elevated to double hight
One unit flat
Two unit flat
Bigger (family) unit
Adaptable housing The strict layout of the building makes future adaptions easy to realize. In the presented plan, access is placed on the street-side of the building, but the access can also be organized through an inner vertical core system.
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