Culture centre and school
Tårnet Senter in Norway is a new local gathering point
Our proposal for the new Tårnet Senter in Fornebu goes beyond the traditional school- and culture centre. Through innovative solutions Tårnet Senter is an example of the school of the future that is socially inclusive and sustainable. It is designed to support and promote joint-use and have an open and connecting role in the local community.
It will function as the heart of Fornebu, a meeting place with a variety of functions, communicating the history of the place and a great space for the neighborhood.
The design is based on an analysis of the current and historical urban context of the plot where the former airport creates an interesting site. It would fit into a future urban context as well as support the local history by highlighting the airport as a historical gem – and at the same time connect the different areas.
INDOOR/OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS
One of the main design aspects is the large sheltered outdoor area between the new building and the existing hangar. The school yard will have outdoor workshops for teaching and activity areas. The indoor teaching areas have a direct connection with the outdoor areas, so that the classrooms can easily be moved outside when required or possible.
The school yard is connected through a terraced roof landscape along the west and south facades which, along with the roof of the sports hall, forms a green walk that extends through the entire facility.
On the roofs, each level will have a dedicated roof garden for activities that supports learning and complements the outdoor spaces on ground level. Each level has varied areas, and areas with long tables and benches for outdoor teaching or work. The pergola and greenhouse provide extended use of the roof gardens in stormy weather or on colder days. All the roofs are proposed as blue-green roofs that can store stormwater.
LANDSCAPE AND BIODIVERSITY
The landscape concept for Tårnet Senter is based on three important layers: the geological, the cultural and the educational. Fornebu is in a unique geological area, which has created rare habitats for plants, birds, insects, and animals. This nature is vulnerable and has been partly lost in large development projects at Fornebu over the past twenty years. We wanted to showcase the unique natural landscape of Fornebu in this project. In addition, the cultural layer, and especially the airport's history, will have a new, playful role where elements, shapes and patterns from the runway are reused. Through these measures, the landscape will also gain an educational quality and a distinct identity for the school and the neighborhood by integrating nature, play, activity, and communication.
The roofs will have different focus areas that can teach students different things, including cultivation and horticulture, beekeeping, and henhouses where students will learn about food and have their own responsibilities in the upkeep and care. The library garden with native species and insect hotels would teach students about ecosystems, biological diversity, and the importance each small species can have. We’ve also proposed that a wetland should be established for the purification and reuse of water on the roofs, which, together with the blue-green system, can be used both as a research roof, and to learn about climate, environment, stormwater, and water as a resource.
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