A joint project between Eriksen Skajaa Arkitekter and landscape architects from Pushak and Bjørbekk & Lindheim Landscape Architects won a competition organized by the municipality of several cities in the Nordland region in northern Norway, which houses a vast national park that combines the nature of fjords and mountain landscapes. Sjunkhatten Park is primarily aimed at children, so the jury found it appropriate Eriksen Skajaa Arkitekter's proposal to build the concept of the project on the mythological experience of the perception of nature.
The project is called "Saivu", which means a gateway to another world: the authors decided to turn a trip through the park into a fabulous adventure with numerous objects and signs, the symbols of which are borrowed from the myths of the ancient people - the Sami. Like all pagans, the Sami were distinguished by a complex and sensitive attitude towards nature.
The architects have developed three separate entrances to the park, which include various infrastructural facilities - places for rest and overnight stays, information boards, toilets, campfire zones, playgrounds, parking lots, etc. Light frame buildings are made of natural materials - wood and canvases. The intricate geometry, reminiscent of origami paper figures, is based on modules that interpret the motives of ancient Sami drawings. The structures, whether they are wooden walkways or viewing platforms, an amphitheater or places for recreation, resembling tents, are emphatically light, as if temporary, so as not to violate the integrity of the natural appearance of this reserve.
N. K.
