GP
Top view · Visualisation: JAJA
Over 60 years the Varatun area changed dramatically: an open landscape turned waste dump, slowly reclaimed by nature into a popular recreational area.
The masterplan unites new homes and existing nature, bringing residents close to the park and connecting it to the rest of the city. The jury praised its ‘win/win’ concept, adding new value while keeping the park’s meaning for Sandnes.
Role
Lead designer
Studio
JAJA Architects, Copenhagen
Programme
Masterplan, housing, landscape
Location
Sandnes, Norway
Status
Ongoing
Year
2015
Awards
1st prize, competition
01
Concept
The reclaimed nature area had been completely isolated. Qualities of the park are blended into the new development: the landscape flows into its surroundings and the housing merges with it.
Masterplan concept
Housing in the park · Visualisation: JAJA
02
Low to the street, tall to the park
Lower buildings face the street at the scale of the neighbourhood; taller ones stand towards the park with a minimal footprint, letting the landscape flow between them.
Between the buildings · Visualisation: JAJA
Section
03
A wild park
Decades of isolation turned the old dump into a lush, wild park. The design keeps its raw character while bringing out its recreational qualities.
The park · Visualisation: JAJA
Design: JAJA Architects · Visualisations: JAJA
