Bergen Arkitekthogskole

Tutors: Anders Rubing (APP), Vibeke Jensen (DAV), Harald Røstvik (Sustainability), Anne Sofie H. Bjelland (TTA)

 

Diploma project started with an observation: elderly people ending their careers as labourers and starting a new chap- ter in life as pensioners. But the retired of today have a bunch of different attributes than the ones of earlier generations. Women and men in their late sixties and seventies are healthier, wealthier and more socially vibrant than the generations before them. As the rest of the population they also travel more and use digital tools for communication. One name tag for this new generation of elders is «the young-old».

Through a thorough research, both textual, social and geographical, this project investigates how a new generation of elders can be a resource for the community. In a society where the elders have been sidelined and sometimes kicked out of their work at an early stage, this project aims to create a place where their experience, knowledge and wisdom can be used in different ways. A lot of interviews took place through the course of the diploma: both with the senior citizens of Askøy, soon to be pensioners and municipality. The activities wished by elderly turned out into a thought model of an “utopian” tower. Different parts of this tower will reflect in my project: a social centre, cafe, wood workshop, greenhouse and spaces to meet. It will work as a social centre to house activities such as gardening, cooking, a café, projection space, and other opportunities for knowledge sharing, in the manner of a kind of informal school, where generations can blend.

A new socialising arena at Askøy will work both as a meaningful place for the young-old in the village, but also create an interesting non-commercial socialising space for
all inhabitants. Through knowledge sharing and different activities can the new young-old be a resource for the local community - and beyond.

The project aims to see the opportunities that lies in the new age of retirement and how these opportunities potentially can be used/taken by individuals and local communities.

 

 

Tower of Utopia 

After night fishing 

Preparing the boat 

Coffee pause 

In the greenhouse 

1:1 Glass from the fallen-down greenhouse 

Map over Askøy

Intervention at Ask 

Workshop at Follese