AHO WORKS STUDIES 2012-2013
Diploma Projects
Master of Architecture
SENIOR HOUSING, TVEDESTRAND
SEBASTIAN GULLIKSEN STOKKEBOKJÆR
Supervisor: Knut Hjeltnes
External supervisor: Simon Irgens
Tvedestrand is a small harbour town in the south of Norway. The city had its heydays during the
sail ship era, around the nineteenth century, before motorized boats took over. Since then the
city has gone through vast changes. The part of the city that embraces the harbour that once was
the most active part of town is now very quiet. Tvedestrand is spatially very interesting, because
of its varying spaces. The combination of tiny alleyways, roads, small city squares, and spaces
with an ocean view gives the city labyrinthic qualities.
The building site is perceived as a gap in the existing building mass. Therefore, the building
is designed to fill this gap and connect the city with the small housing area called Bakkeskått.
The apartments are stacked on top of each other, and every resident has his or her own private
box. The spaces in-between are used for circulation, as well as for informal meetings between
the seniors. In this way, the residents could get to know their neighbours better, forming part of
a small community. This aspect is important because social isolation is a problem amongst se-
niors. External facilities like a library, a boat rental service, and a swimming area have been put in
place to make the seniors’ surroundings even more vibrant, and to pull other citizens to the area.
The concept makes it possible to create spatial qualities that can be found in the city itself.
The city per say is small and fragmented so it is important that the concept itself is perceived
in the same way. The goal has been to create a framework where the seniors will thrive in each
other’s company, as they enter the last phase of life.
