Living

Social pragmatism has always been a core inspiration and motivation for 3RW. How can we create socially and ecologically sustainable neighborhoods as the fundamental response to our changing ecosystem?

For generations Norwegians have lived within and upon the landscape. The history of Havråtunet, a west coast village to the north east of Bergen, is an example of this strong and eternal connection. The village was settled around 1300AD and is located in a green valley between mountain and fjord, with a climate suited to farming and agriculture. This allowed the village to easily sustain itself with fish from the fjord, and animals and grain from the fields.

The farm buildings to keep the animals and to dry grass were situated on the outskirts of the village, forming a protective ring around the villagers’ houses within. These houses were dense and small but configured and built such that villagers could live and work collaboratively with each other. This system is now what we refer to as the concept of shared living.

The villagers lived socially and pragmatically and had to collectively respond to the shifting axes of both climate and natural resources. Houses were built from natural, local materials with efficient construction methods that were both cost-effective and provided shelter from the west coast climate. They cultivated the landscape sustainably allowing them to harvest the land and sea for generations.