© Giuseppe Morando . Pubblicata il 12 Ottobre 2010.

1.1 Introduction The project aims to turn the site, which is particularly distinguished by its natural environment, into an opportunity to revitalise an area strategically located in the fabric of the city by preserving its original values. The urban reading of the city paused in particular on the relationship of the city centre with the sea, on a relationship between buildings and open spaces and the nature of the urban outline. The partition of adjoining plots, the substantial equivalence of proportions between the site project and existing sites are the starting point of the transformation of the project site. The project takes the shape of a process applied to the existing urban structure through a series of succeeding deformations that lead to one of the innumerable results. It is conceived as an ongoing process that could theoretically never end. The frozen time frame we have chosen to develop, is the one we consider the most suitable to the needs of the site, the best possible configuration that modifies the structure of the site preserving at the same time its identity. This deformation involves the site together with the new buildings that will be built on it, in a project in its whole that merges landscape and buildings; creates folds generating the landscape from which buildings emerge.

© Giuseppe Morando . Pubblicata il 12 Ottobre 2010.

1.2 The city and the sea

© Giuseppe Morando . Pubblicata il 12 Ottobre 2010.

The sea is the other element that characterizes the city and through the project we intend to emphasize its presence. The viability is developed in function of the sea. The main axis are laid out perpendicularly to the sea especially in the area circumstancing the site. Many of the main axis are nevertheless interrupted or broken along their way towards the sea except for the horizontal axis that guides you from the island to the city centre. The valorisation of the bond between the city and the sea is connected to the valorisation of the island because it contributes to the establishment of a stronger relationship between city, island and sea. The project collects the urban and visual axis and exposes them to a transformation that bends them and therefore slackens their tension towards the sea. This slackening process produces the strips of the park which at their turn design new axis along the eastern side of the plot. These new axis define the main paths of the park and the buildings. All these axis are, along their slackened way to the sea, affected by the attraction of the islet. The waterfront walkway, intended as a part of a longer walk connecting the marina to the boat wharf, becomes the collector of all these pedestrian and urban axis in an attempt to restore an unexpressed relation till today.

1.3 The urban texture

From the reading of building areas, blocks and the way they are occupied by these buildings, two main aspects arise: the solid presence of green areas, the recurrence of a predominant living typology of detached houses. The result is a rather low density of the urban tissue supported by buildings of small sizes. The road network also distinguishes the original conurbation, which is more articulated than the previous one with a more regular filling, outlining regular and tidy blocks. The aim is to preserve the predominance of green areas that in the strips organisation of the project surrounds, hides and protects buildings on the urban side and unveils it towards the sea. It works as a transition element from the urban dimension to the natural one. Buildings are inserted on the green strips. They are themselves the result of this transformation. They are conceived as remaining blocks of a millenary glaciation, modelled by strips outlining the whole site, transformed in trajectories of shear forces that cut some parts away. What remains are 4 buildings of different dimension, which are solid and frozen in their position. They relate to the existing scenario, by respecting the heights, withdrawing from the border of the site, allowing the green areas to connect them. The project, in the logics of an event in progress, is conceived as an architectural episode along the walkway which will cross all the Osthammar waterfront. We assume and suggest that this walkway could further be developed in order to give an order and continuity to the relation of the city with the sea and the green areas it comes across.

2.1 Regeneration

The project intends to contribute to the re-generation programme of the city. This is the reason why it has been conceived as a graft in the existing fabric of new elements, respecting the environment. We believe the contribution to this re-generation should involve the urban sphere therefore the social part on one hand and the functional and economical on the other hand. The physical structure of the project, i.e. its buildings, its road network, its spaces and its voids, proposes a new urban reading and creates new functions. The human structure of the project will do the rest, thus it will be in charge of metabolising the new building. People are the core of the project. This is the reason why we have tried to imagine how it would be possible to walk through the area, around the building, in the park. We have tried to anticipate the movements in order to explore the area. We have imagined that the natural reason of each of us going to a park near the sea is to enjoy the park itself and the view of it. Therefore its view has been conceived as something to be unveiled while entering into the park. As an experience that slightly unveils the bent strips of the park going towards the sea in a progressive opening of the horizon. From an urban planning point of view, by re-generation we meant the re-application of the original fabric, by varying its structure and drawing its filling again. This fabric organises flows inside the area, regulates the relationship between the buildings and at the same time becomes the reference grid for the distribution of the functions. Considering the touristic vocation of the area and the aim of the local authorities to invest in it, the settlement of a structure offers a service to people in terms of facilities, such as the spa, which is certainly an extraordinary flywheel for this re-generation programme. We have therefore thought of further enhancing it by offering the possibility to extend and enrich the offer of facilities suggested during the brief. The strong relationship between buildings, the complementarity of their functions, (Spa-Hotel-Music hall) constitute a further warranty of regenerative capacity. The Spa is the building accessible to everyone, the meeting point connecting the area with the city and the city with its tourists. From one side it is directly accessible from the urban road network, from the other side it is directly connected to the hotel, which has an inner and more private position. The entry systems of the hotel – conference and the spa have been conceived such that it facilitates the connections between the two buildings. At the same time they open up to the city and the park. The Music Pavilion is slightly detached from both the city and the park. It consists of bar, which could be occasionally opened towards the outside, becoming a an area for outdoor happenings. The island area takes part into this re-generation process as well. It functions as an outer element to the physical borders of the city as well as the site project and is obviously conceived as a synthesis point. The island transforms into a gathering area for the inhabitants and a touristic attraction. The shed offers a temporary shelter during the summer time. Both as a system and as parts of the system, the new buildings can work on the same wavelength ensuring the attraction capacity the re-generation process is based on. In terms of traffic and road network, we have anticipated the presence of cars in the area only for logistic needs. Public car spaces are located at -1,5mt altitude, which is deep enough to allow the park to cover its presence. The hotel and the spa have on the other hand dedicated car spaces in the basement floor. The mobility inside the site project is bound to the presence of the park, therefore functional to it. Cycling and pedestrian paths arranged in perimetric and inner rings allow the crossing and the connection of the project area to the rest of the city.