Air, light and sun in eastern Stavanger

debate

This is a discussion post. The post was written by an external contributor, and quality assured by Aftenbladet’s debate department. Opinions and analyzes are the author’s own.

Exciting times lie ahead for Stavanger Ost with the ‘Eastside Quarter’ planning proposal, which is up for consultation. First off, we would like to say that it is great that the project is creating so much activity and character, which has the potential to be a positive addition to the neighbourhood.

Our problem mainly relates to the fact that, as an architect, and with a condominium at Haugesundsgata 15, I criticize that the high degree of use of the “East Quarter” comes at the expense of good public outdoor spaces. To the south-west of the planning proposal, the developer has chosen to prioritize the tall, elongated building volume, which is perceived as being oversized, awkward and inappropriate in relation to the surrounding buildings. The developer points to a plan from 2001 and the city’s needs have changed a lot in more than 20 years. However, there is a requirement in the municipal plan that certain quality requirements must be met in order to be able to regulate the high usage rate. So we criticize whether this plan is good enough.

Improvement, not worse

Stavanger East has a lot of industrial history, and the interplay of old industrial wooden houses and newer architecture helps create a distinctive character in the area. It is important to respect the existing urban environment of Storhaug, and the new development has the opportunity to draw parallels in terms of scale and materiality. Almoayyed’s planning proposal creates an unnatural contrast in the south-west in particular, in relation to the size of the plot and the surrounding industrial and housing developments. We live in a city that will be densified to meet the needs of the future. At the same time, it is important that the encounter between new and old improves the urban landscape rather than worsens it.

The municipality also requires the development of a large public urban space as a living center for the new neighbourhood. This provides huge opportunities for the region, as Stavanger is known to have poor quality public spaces and very little green space in Storhaug. Stavanger East is located outside the city center and therefore needs attractive places to stay to attract visitors over a longer period of time. Especially if companies want to be able to succeed in a market characterized by fierce competition. The height of the building, called KBA4, creates a number of shade problems, and it is only expected to have less than 50 percent sun, in mid-June on the 15th, and almost no sun already on the 17th. Therefore, we believe that the planning proposal does not provide good enough conditions for the properties In the urban space, which should essentially be a gathering place for everyone. When it is intensified, it is very important to focus on social sustainability, and therefore we need good places to stay so that people can meet.

Don’t just think about profit

This issue is important because construction companies often force architects to prioritize a high degree of utilization while achieving the greatest profit. This is emphasized much more than what is required to create a good urban environment. We must move away from the paradigm of thought; “This has been sold/rented in the past, so we can build more of the same,” he says, instead allowing for quality control projects to a greater extent. Building new projects is also resource-intensive, and we no longer have a lot of land to use. Therefore, it is very important to create good conditions in the little space we have left.

We had previously decided to present our issues as an alternative proposal, in order to better illustrate the negative consequences that would arise. At the same time, we wanted to imagine how it could be done differently to create a better view of the city. Our proposal demonstrates that reducing the height of KBA4 will create much better solar conditions in the urban space and a more seamless integration with neighboring buildings. Calculations show that this can be done very well because you always stay within the density requirements imposed by the municipality.

We need sun and air

We have previously raised these issues in our statements first to the Plan Applicant (KAP) and later to the municipality. The municipality then called an orientation meeting for those affected, and the developer was also present. Two members of the Board of Directors of Haugesundsgata 15 participated and echoed our statements. However, we feel that the new proposal did not take our views into account in a good way and we were not heard. After that time we were happy to submit the statement to the Planning and Development Committee, and now it is up to our politicians.

In short, we require that it be consciously controlled as one regulates density in relation to the surrounding environment. If a more adaptive scale were organised, this would greatly ensure the presence of sunny and well-ventilated common areas, the operation of the streets, as well as taking into account most of the neighborhood and preserving the characteristics of the area. We hope that this will be a constructive contribution to positive urban development.