1. Tove Helen Grande Dyb
Background and history;
Ålesund is a small town and a municipality in the north west coast of Norway with approximately 42670 inhabitants. The area have slowly developed to become a town with the sh
industry and sh export (both national and international) as the economic basis for growth and life. The ocean was the life line to this area, and communication and trade couldnt happen without it.
People from the districts gathered in Ålesund, It was here everyone came to buy and sell. Ålesund was and is still one of worlds biggest exporter of bacalao. This made the little town known internati-
onally. Today, Ålesund is most known for its architecture, the “art noveau”. The tree house town tragically burnt down in 1904, and almost all the inhabitants lost their homes. Help both nationally and
from abroad was tremendous. The German emperor donated money, and architects and builders came from all over the country to build up the whole town in contemporary architecture.
The “ jugendstil” has become Ålesunds branding as well as the modernist town hall buildt in the 70’ies. The area in this district is known for its beautiful nature and a lot of tourist come here to
climb mountains, sh, surfe, ski, look at the architecture and etc. The expected number of inhabitants is 50 000 in 2018, a municipality with tremendous growth.
In contradicton to all this, Ålesund trade center, the town centre is struggeling to survive. The sh industry has changed, the trade that was made on the harbour have dissappeared,
and the ocean is no longer the oar of coummunication that it used to be. The harbour has become the place for people with private boats. The city that was “alive” has now become a ghost town.
Fishing boats and ferrys brought people to Ålesund, today surrounding islands and districts are not dependent on a city center anymore. The ferries have been replaced by undersea tunnels that
is not connected to the town centre., and shopping centers sprawled out in the areas around take up the costumer base Ålesund used to have. The city is di cult to visit, the parking of cars are
bad, the city centre is di cult to move in, for most people.
The situation is now unsertain, where do Ålesund want to go ? The challenge lies in rede ning Ålesund, it position and its functions and what kind of city it wants to be. To “rise from the ashes” and
become a city center for the future, it needs to regenerate and attract people, invite new people to live there. The city must become more accessible for all to live in, strenghten its own identity, and
rearrange to meet future demands for a livable environment both socially, social economically , environmentally, functionally and estetic.
Investigation area_ Site_ Potential_Goal
I want to search for the identity of Ålesund , analyse the existing structure of the city centre, its functions, and search the potential
of the excisting as a basis for developments for a sustainable city centre. This will be the background for my investigations and
intervenitons on site.
My site is the area that connects the city centre from two angles, the narrow “arm” that bridge the city centre. Here lays the moder-
nist city hall, a shoppingmall connected, a bank and the library. A lot of functions is melted together like an island, with motorways
on all sides separate it from the rest of the city and its unique architecture. This area has been looked upon as a pimple in Ålesunds
history. A bird mountain with a beautiful jugendvilla on top was removed to build up an island of 70’ies modernist high rise
buildings. Now the facades are crumbling, the tra c situation around this block is problematic, the wind situation around the
buildings are uninviting, and the air in the area is very polluted. The buildings stops diagonal movements through the block. When
the o ces and shops close, the block is closed. The townhall public area lies in shadow of its own building mass most of the day.
All these situations are barrieres that divides the city centre and the environmental development.
The area has a potential of becoming a natural gathering point in the middle of the city, a common public area for all to use,
connected to the sea and to the city on all sides. The city got its park, but the topography and the climate makes it di cult to use
on an everyday basis. This area can become a junction for the inhabitants, a sorely missed public area open for all at all times.
I will focus on the town hall and search for the potential of the institution to be more integrated in the community and more
exible in hense for an unknown political structural future, with unknown use. This diploma
will be a proposal for a regeneration of an area in the exicting city centre as a part of the
Ålesund regeneration of the city at whole.
Investigation area _ Site
Town Centre
Site Site
The site seen from the town mountain The site is the area in between the two Islands, that together creates the town centre of Aalesund.
“Aksla”, from east
Site, Seen from north - east
The area consist of an island of
high rise buildings that blocks
the visual and physical
connections on all sides.
The Town hall is the highes house
in Aalesund. In front the library,
Townhall conference rooms, library
shoppingmall and bank. view from
“Grimmerhaugen.”