Design team win with “Long Table” concept

Ghilardi+Hellsten and Karres en Brands with engineering partners Dipl.-Ing. Florian Kosche AS have won an international design competition to transform Stavanger’s historical Nytorget site into a new cultural hub, including a youth culture centre, art gallery, shops and offices. The winning team created a concept that places emphasis on an inviting public space, building on the unique qualities of the location which already houses significant art initiatives for young people.

The design is centred around the idea of oasis in the city called ‘The Long Table’, which acts as a stage for community life. The team stated: “Instead of removing green to make room for activities, we set green at the heart of the public space: a park in a square.” This new park is designed to be flexibile in its use, as is the surrounding Three Houses development, which combines areas for various tenants interconnected by a multi-functional base containing the youth culture house. Each of the three houses provide pathways for pedestrians through a intimate inner space with narrow passages. The first two floors contain cafes, restaurants, gyms and shops, while the offices are designed to host a variety of different business. The buildings are constructed from locally sourced and sustainable wood, with open floors and city views.

On announcing the competition results, the jury praised the design's approach to creating a vibrant identity for the new hub, saying: “The proposal is chosen as winner, among other things, for its clear idea of a well-defined and delimited urban space. The main intervention also creates strong connections to the city and connects Nytorget with the old city center in a convincing way....The jury believes that this is crucial in order to facilitate urban life on the square.”

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research

This competition was first published by TenderStream on 04.06.2018 here

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