This project is about developing city apartments in an urban historical setting in Bergen. The densification of the city is necessary and it needs to be densified not only by expanding the city border but also by utilizing the sites that are in between existing building structures and leftovers. The site is located in Vågsbunnen and it’s a part of the medieval city of Bergen. The whole area is listed as a cultural heritage. There are shops, cafes and restaurants on the ground floor and apartments on top. Most of the buildings are small-scaled wooden houses from the 17-1800s on 3 floors. The construction is mainly in “laftet tømmer” cladded in wood panels and some have mural cladding towards the street. The facades are colorful.

The new buildings relate to the scale of the existing wooden houses in the quarter. The buildings are connected to the gable walls where it was possible, but most of the new development is free-standing and placed in relationship to existing buildings, passages and so on. All of the buildings, both the existing and new have their own private gardens. The program consists of 10 small-scaled apartment buildings on 3-4 floors. The buildings have apartments that mainly go from 2-3 floors, but at some of them have also commercial space or studio apartments on the ground or on the top floor. The studio apartments can be a part of the apartment but can also work alone as one unit. The apartments are intended to be for families that want to live in the city, being a part of the urban life, but at the same time have the opportunity to privacy within the family. On the ground floor, there are both commercial space and living, both for the existing and the new structures. The roofs are sloping and the highest façade is always towards the private garden. The facades facing the streets are the highest where the roof is sloping down towards the inner-quarter. All of the building is in bearing brick with Zink-roofs.

My ambition for this project has been to work with architecture as an integrated part of a larger context and as a part of this historical quarter and its scale. The project introduces a new layer to this area but at the same time preserves the character of it. The aim has been to work with apartments that give rich spatial quality and flexibility for families living in the city. And also working with apartments for families that want to be a part of the urban life, but at the same time have the opportunity for privacy.