Nyskapande aktivitetsanlegg Hyllestad
Our project for the design and development of innovative activity facilities in Hyllestad, on the Norwegian west coast, is an example of a small-scaled, targeted intervention which builds from local qualities. Through a variety of attractive and low-threshold offers for physical activity, the project strenghtens existing meeting places; it was realized following an initiative from Vestland County Municipality. Architects and planners at 3RW have taken leadership for the process, participation, architecture, landscape and plan stages of Hyllestad’s ‘Nyskapande aktivitetsanlegg’.
The starting point for re-imagining Hyllestad’s activity facilities in innovative ways is simple: we worked from present-day needs in the local environment and community, and focused on answering these needs through a broad knowledge base and sustainable solutions. The meeting spaces developed by 3RW present an architecture of high standards, with creative takes on function, organization and activities. As such, they are likely to become natural gathering places for local dwellers, young and old.
3RW has collaborated extensively with municipal authorities and inhabitants in Hyllestad: we have, in effect, carried out several planning-related projects for the municipality. This specific assignment’s site sits near the school’s outdoor yard, which points to children and young people as one natural target group for the interventions. We also worked to ensure that these interventions would benefit from a strong local ‘anchoring’, and therefore treated nearby dwellers as another relevant target group. The new meeting places offer infrastructural elements which are diverse, and which take into account a wide range of users and interests. Analyzes and participation were central to the design process. All in all, the project in Hyllestad signals that architects and planners can create good and creative activity facilities that also fulfil high standards of sustainability. In practice, this was achieved by focusing on materials; by choosing products with small biological footprints and low CO2 emissions. The use of renewable resources, such as wood, is emphasized.
The project includes, among other, an overall qualitative survey, extensive participation workshops which center children’s and young people’s voices, as well as a ‘feasibility study’ report with formal solutions.
