"What can generate a project design on site?"
Deep inside the fjord of Storfjorden you will find the town of Sjøholt. As many historical Norwegian cities and towns, Sjøholt relied on the seaway for food and trading. While time did its job in bringing the rest of the world closer to Sjøholt, the town grew and became a vibrant place for tourists seeking the Norwegian wilderness, seen materialized in the town's hotel. Time went on and the age of mobility came about, and literally drove a highway through the historical center. This highway, a blessing and a curse, has given the municipality motivation to revitalize the town through smaller and bigger interventions. Lykta (the name coming from Norwegian for lantern) is one of these.
While standing on the edge of the town, you can’t but notice the scale of the landscape. The fjord just continues westward for kilometer after kilometer, until it meets some distant mountains. The fjord itself is flanked by sloping mountain sides, creating a layered landscape that stretches towards the horizon This outermost part of the town is formed by a man made breakwater, intended to protect the harbour from the unhindered weather from the west. In this place, Lykta was formed to become a meeting place for locals and tourists. A discussion that arose throughout the process was how to handle the views on the site, as how relate the visual experiences of being inside Lykta, with the given context.
Team: 15 architects + Sami Rintala and Pasi Aalto