Designed by Space Group + Superunion Architects, their winning proposal for Ruten competition reflects the city of Sandnes’ development and establishes Ruten as a natural center and Sandnes as a future city with strong roots and a proud local history. The proposal, titled ‘Lysning’, consists of a ring that connects and creates the new transport hub and public space below for an attractive unifying roof. As the Central Park in New York was built before the Manhattan grid was condensed around it, Ruten has remained as a buffer in the urban development in anticipation of something bigger. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Sandnes’ historic center was a small-scaled urban structure with the country’s longest shopping street. The new district by the waterfront has another dimension – scaled up to the old industrial structures on site. By overlapping two adjacent contexts, the new Ruten can be adapted to both. Ruten will be the new Central Park, an identity creator and pivot point.
Our strategy is to combine a large urban park for upcoming growth and for the big occasions, and a grid of possibilities – a smaller subdivision of dedicated spaces with intimacy and diversity of activities. The urban park balances all occasions; Intimate/Open, Specific/Flexible, Small scale/big scale. It allows for the representative and planned, as well as encourages the spontaneous, informal and unexpected.
Architects: Space Group + Superunion Architects Location: Sandnes, Norway Team: Space Group – Gary Bates, Gro Bonesmo, Adam Kurdahl, Fredrik Krogeide, Naofumi Namba, Jose Hernandez, Anna Nilsson; Superunion Architects – Johanne Borthne, Vilhelm Christensen Landscape: Inside Outside/Petra Blaisse Structural Engineering: Dipl ing. Florian Kosche Sustainability: Atelier Ten Traffic: Plan Urban Curator: Anne Beate Hovind Lighting: Ljusarkitektur Visualization: Weiss Images
