0 of 0 for ""

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.

Boy playing on a small hill of bricks in front of some residential buildings.

Facts about the project

  • Client

    Sandefjord municipality

  • Place

    Sandefjord, Norway

  • Photographer

    Morten Rustad

  • Status

    Completed

  • Size

    43.000 sqm

Close up showing some greenary and a surface clad in bricks.
Close up showing some greenary and a surface clad in bricks.

“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.

  • View from above showing the square in clad bricks with buildings around.
  • Close up of wooden details and greenary.
1 / 2

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.