Major public institutions like universities and colleges house large numbers of people, have a wide range of functions and require much space. As a result, they are often located far outside the city centre. Departments and study programmes each have their own building and these buildings are usually spread over a large area. Students and staff have to cover large distances to participate in various activities during the day and may have a long commute at the beginning and end of the day.
Architecture student Jonathan Storheil Værnes has taken a different perspective and proposed to unify the scattered university town in a single building and place it in the heart of the city.
The project arose from an assignment he carried out during his third year at AHO, which entailed creating a high-rise strategy for Drammen. The Municipality of Drammen wanted to use the assignments in a discussion on high-rises in connection with the further development of the city.
A university located in the centre of Drammen, with easy access to the train and bus stations, has numerous advantages. The infrastructure is already in place and the location encourages the use of public transport. Besides, believes Jonathan, this would contribute to the development of Drammen as a city.
“The university would be a centre of gravity that would make it more attractive to live centrally. It would help create an urban lifestyle that students would spread to the rest of the city,” he explains.
The high-rise Jonathan designed, houses everything we associate with a university, such as a library, study halls, group rooms, cafeterias and student housing. He also drew two parks adjacent to the building. All in all, a high-rise university requires less acreage than a traditional university.
It is not customary for us to build upwards in this country and proposing the creation of a more compact, tall building can lead to controversy and resistance. This makes Jonathan’s project not only innovative, but daring. He has taken the chance of going against the stream and supporting something he knows can be perceived as highly controversial.
Photo: UKJENT
