ROAD AESTHETICS
Beautiful Roads Award The Road Director’s “Beautiful Roads Award” was established in 1988 in order to encourage high quality road architecture. The prize is now awarded every 2nd year.
Thorbjørn Chr. Risan, NPRA, Norway
T
he winner is selected by a jury which, in addition to The Road Director, consists of five external members appointed by Tekna – (The Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals), The Norwegian Association of Landscape Architects (NLA), The National Association of Norwegian Architects (NAL), Central Office of Historic Monuments and Norwegian Public Building Ornamentation Fund. The right to nominate is open. The award is a prize of honour to road projects with good aesthetic qualities adapted to the surroundings. A road project can consist of roads, streets, bridges, tunnels or
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sites and equipment belonging to these areas. The project must be a part of the public road network and the prize can be awarded both to a complete project and a part of or an element of it. The award consists of a plaque with inscription, which is intended for a central placing at the site, and a diploma to the award winner. Additionally a scholarship, which should be used for a study tour, can be linked to the award. Norway has signed The European Landscape Convention, which involves a special responsibility to take landscape values into consideration when it comes to strategic planning, feasibility studies, detailed planning and management of the roads. The ambition is to design all new roads without adversely affecting important landscape features and, if possible,
add beauty to the surroundings. Aesthetic values, residential environments, biological diversity and cultural monuments are all aspects that need to be incorporated into road planning. Roads are aligned and designed in accordance with two main principles; either as a positive contrast to the environment or adapted to and anchored in it. For most roads the principle of adaptation will be the natural choice. The Norwegian landscape constitutes a significant challenge to road planners and engineers and demands a multi-disciplinary approach in planning, construction and maintenance of roads.
Contact: Sunniva Schjetne, e-mail: sunniva.schjetne@vegvesen.no Alf E. Støle, e-mail: alf.stole@vegvesen.no
www.nordicroads.com