www.reorientationsneighborhood.tumblr.com/

www.reorientationsneighborhood.tumblr.com
www.reorientationsdistrict68.tumblr.com
www.reorientationsbuilding97.tumblr.com

From December 18, 2011

From December 18, 2011

Diagram that shows the connections between the buildings and the urban space districts. left page...Buildings/Horisontal and Districts/Vertical

From December 17, 2011

Diagram that shows the connections between the buildings and the urban space districts. right page...Buildings/Horisontal and Districts/Vertical

From December 17, 2011

The rhizomatic infrastructure in the flow of information.

From reorientations

The week we all became a bit more Sami...

From November 30, 2011

Новое Плато- Flexibility and wasteland

From November 22, 2011

Infrastructure mapping

From November 5, 2011

Murmansk infrastructure mapping from mikkel johnsen on Vimeo.

Vulnerable Murmansk

Bicycle reflections in Murmansk

A map from the future.

My reflections of Murmansk as a bicycle city.

The city is a linear city, with a north-south axis with a distance of approximately 17km, and an east-west axis between 1-4 km. The coastline that runs from north to south has no elevation, and a bicycle route could link the city´s 3 separate district together.

Murmansk is not a dense city, it is oversized compared to the amount of people and trafic, and adding bicycle paths could be easily implemented without disturbing the remaining trafic. The buildings stands separated from each other, and it would be possible to create a more flexible and dynamic infrastructure by adding a diagonal bicycle grid, that runs between the buildings.

Murmansk observation

Most of the inhabitants in Murmansk live in monotonous prefab 4-7 storey concrete buildings, made in the post stalinistic era. These buildings are kept in a desaturated range of colours, primarily in grey tone and works as a enormous citywall, that sorround the city of Murmansk. The opportunity as an individual to make your own expression, is very limited. As a contrast to these colourless and standardised facades, you will find the garage communities.

In the Russian society the garage not only serves as a place for repairing and store cars, but has a even more multifunctional value. The garage works as a spaciousness for expression, where you as an individual can express yourself in your own 4*4 meter plot. It is a social and informel meeting point where politics can be discussed with friends, and a hiding place away from furious wives. In this way, the garage symbolize a space for making meaning, constructing identity and therefor can be considered, to have a fundamental value in the Russian culture.

The garages are often located in larger groups or garage towns, with up to several hundreds in each group. They are primarily standardised prefab constructions, but you have as an individual the oppurtunity to paint or decorate the facades, and make your own place unique. The colourful facades can in a small scale, be considered as a way to affect the city´s, grey and monotonous expression.

Vardø, the new Black..

The size of the island is 3,7 km.

Since 1998, the town has housed a radar installation called Globus II.

It is the only arctic city in Norway (except from Longyearbyen, Svalbard).

The island is connected to the mainland via an undersea tunnel, built in 1983.

Vardø is the oldest city in Finnmark, founded 800, and got its city status in 1789.

Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, east of Saint Petersburg, Kiev and Istanbul.

During the 17th century, 91 men and women were burnt in Vardø, accused of witchery.

Moja på Tvoja is the name of a Russian-Norwegian language, used during the Pomor trade.

Vardø has the oldest fishing village in Finnmark, and has only remaining historical harbour in this region.

Our impression is that Vardø, the people living there, and the municipality, are concerned with participating in the development of their own future. Local entrepreneurs and the municipality are engaged in projects developing Vardø, projects that give something back to the place. Not once did we hear them compare themselves with the other towns in Finnmark. This is said, to be due to the ‘dark period’ Vardø went through in the eighties, where the population halfened. The mentality in Vardø today is to focus on themselves and what can be done in this area. Smaller projects such as restoring old buildings, participating in the Europan contest, or introducing site specific concepts that will increase tourism in Vardø, are good examples of this development. These are low key projects that give something back to the area, and stand as a contrast to private investors that exploit the natural resources as we have seen it in other parts of Finnmark. On the other hand this represents a challenge, as there is no big money invested into the place.

The way the town is put together gives an understanding of how long there have been settlements in the area. Historical buildings from different time periods, create layers and a series of ways of sensing the city. The placement of these buildings on the island or in the city centre, creates a dynamic within the town. An example of this is the Steilneset Memorial, placed on the west side of the island, seven minutes walk from the city centre, walking out there takes you into a whole new mindset, and the character of the city rapidly changes from housing areas to open landscape with the view towards the sea.

Welcome

Dear students:


We are very happy that you have chosen this studio about the coming and vanishing arctic... and the prosperity and challenges in this - seemingly immense and dispersed region. Arguably the Arctic has the same significance for the future well being of the globe, as other more emphasized global regions such as the Amazon. The limelight is on in the high north, and we want architects and landscape architects to be aware and prepared for a future, expected exploitation that might transform the Arctic in a way that will challenge our existence beyond the limitations of the territory..


Gisle + Magdalena