Kristiansand

TOPIC
The main task is to insert new sport facilities and housing to an existing local centre, Idda, in a way that contributes to urban life. Idda consists an open-air sports field, two schools, a kindergarten, a church and a retail centre. Detached housing surrounds the centre. The new programs should contribute to the restructuring of the area by extracting existing qualities and giving the local centre a clearer identity and structure. Candidates are asked to investigate how new sports facilities and related programs can be combined or mixed with the new housing units, and placed and configured in a way that contributes to public space.

CONURBATION
Idda lies 10 minutes walk away from the city centre of Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest city. Kristiansand is a coastal city in the southern part of Norway founded on shipbuilding industry and export by sea.

The historical centre is a clearly defined grid from 1640, located on a peninsula. The city has adopted a long-term area development policy of urbanization along the shoreline, which runs parallel to the main regional road system. This urbanization strip contains 65% of the workspaces and 100% of secondary and higher education in the city. The site is located just outside this development strip.

SITE
Several green elements as well as a small forest "the jungle" are integrated parts of the Idda area.

The functions related to the centre are two schools, a massive concrete church, a kindergarten and a sports field that serves as artificial ice-skating rink in wintertime. The local retail centre to the north has direct access to the regional road system, which. along with three pedestrian routes lead to the city centre. A buss-metro station is 5 minutes walk away.

The site will be affected by large structures in transformation within and in near surroundings to the study area.

PROGRAMME
Idda is characterized by it's social life and activities related to school, sports and recreation. With the city's oldest outdoor sports field, the Idda area has a high status in public opinion. An important challenge is to revitalize the historic greatness. The program includes an indoor hall (3.500 m2) along with 5.000 m2 outdoor sports area. New housing is to be distributed on the site and candidates are free to propose quantity, density and typologies of housing, focusing on attracting a diversity of user profiles and new family structures. The site and study area, except the retail centre is owned by the city.

ISSUES
Social / functional
This local centre of Idda on the site is considered a non-residential area today. Adding new programs and restructuring of public and recreational spaces should generate a new arena for social encounter and public life.

Sensitive
Today, the quality of open-air and in-between spaces seems to be shaped by the individual logic of each building. How can new projects be added in a way that contributes positively to the development of the existing urban structure?

Sustainability
Design of new housing, sports facilities and recreational areas should promote universal access to all people. The housing units should be low-energy buildings. Candidates are asked to discuss whether "the jungle" should be preserved or developed.