From car park to a rocky outcrop
Aagaards Plass urban space
On behalf of the Sandefjord municipality in southern Norway, our landscape architects, drew inspiration from the coastal nature of Vestfold county, with its rocky outcrops and vegetation in rock crevices, when they set out to transform a car park.
Facts about the project
Client
Sandefjord municipality
Place
Sandefjord, Norway
Photographer
Morten Rustad
Status
Completed
Size
43.000 sqm
“Aagaards plass” is not a typical urban space.
We designed a landscape that invites active use and the result is cross between a park and a square, where the surface, clad in brick, undulates as if you are walking on rough terraine.
Residents played a role
In particular, younger residents played a role in shaping the space. One ambition was to contribute to public wellbeing, so small elevations were incorporated for people to cycle, walk, skate, or dance on. The rocky outcrops also provide comfortable seating, inviting those passing through to linger. The younger residents also expressed a desire for a meeting place and so based on a campfire concept, we designed a luminous water sculpture with seating around it.
Fits well into the urban setting
“I have been to the square several times lately, and what delighted me most was seeing an older man with a worn-out bike, ride straight over one of these mounds. That’s exactly what we had in mind, that people are drawn to elevations,” says Halle Pollen, Sweco’s lead landscape architect.
Thanks to the excellent and close collaboration with the client, the results speak for themself.