Productivity in Rødberg is almost a paradox: consider the municipality has been chosen by basically 5% of all Norwegians, as a place for free time. A place worth building a second home, to go on vacation, rest, escape from work and productivity itself.

Thus, this is a chance to overcome assumptions and instead craft a new concept of productivity, tuned to todays needs and more liquid lifestyles. This new concept expands the domain of work and completely incorporates the dimension of free- time. It’s a complete merge, with very little exception.

For this new kind of productivity, material substance and immaterial desires and ambitions are also merged and interchangable, old oppositions are totally overcome. Fun, knowledge, nature, sport, leisure are as important as traditional work, and are actually source and matter of todays work, as well as important ingredients in achieving a balanced environment.

The byproduct that we expect – from this new productive city - is the involvement of many new actors – not only the traditional and dialectical scheme of investors and inhabitants but also tourist and researchers.

With a new system of production, that fully embodies this plurality of domains, we expect that the production will thrive and multiply in plurality of ways, many of them unexpected and still to be forged.

Production could be the excuse to build up an archive or a monitoring system. Production could be an occasion to set up an exhibition or a temporary event. Production is the perfect excuse to move from a place to another and to meet people that share the same interests, skills or even roots.

Production is the perfect excuse to build a city.

PRODUCTIVITY STATEMENT a positive trigger

In the new concept of productivity everything merges into one fluid. The new field of Production generates in addition to traditional work, outcomes such as: temporary activities, datas, archives and exhibitions. The new productivity involves not only inhabitants and investors, but also tourists and researchers.

A TOWN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS one Rødberg for all!

Overcome the subdivision “first home” / “second home” by the means of new models of inhabiting the town. This multiplication of dwelling models corresponds to diverse time- frames of permanence, age groups and purposes. Rødberg must be a place suitable to a plurality of city users with very different needs. One inclusive city for all.

SYSTEM OF NATIONAL CONNECTIONS

Forests and waterways have a main role in defining the Nu- medal landscape, a territory that includes a large area of the Hardangervidda National Park. The Green Corridor is also a mobility plan that allows electrified cars to cross the whole region, from Kongsberg to Geilo. In this sense, Rødberg is one of the multiple nodes of a network in which natural elements and new sustainable technologies cross.

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IN THE VALLEY

There are beautiful lakes around Rødberg. In 30 minutes by car and 2 hours by bike, one can find awesome locations in all directions. In particular it is necessary to re-new the old railway tracks that brings from the city to Nore. Transforming the railway into a cycle path (even just along this quite short stretch), has great potential for leisure and tourist purposes.

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IN THE TOWN

Driverless buses are part of a broader system of mobility in which diverse-speed paths cross each other. A system of mechanized mobility devices (micro-elevators, mini-rails) integrates the network of public spaces where the difference in the terrain level is high; these devices allow an extended accessibility with a limited impact on the territory. These forms of connectivity promote a ludic and shared approach to small-scale mobility: the extended accessibility and mixed use of these new public spaces contribute to social and economic value creation.

Moreover, this new twofold small-scale mobility strategy reconnects the School and Nursing Centre area to the main street and the riverside: a mechanized device overcomes the difficulties in walking over the steep terrain, improving the inclusion of these services and facilities in the city center.

potential and challanges

Rødberg sits in the middle of a great landscape potential. The settlement is skewed between the lush forest and water basin. Despite this, its public spaces are lacking quality and present serious criticalities, that prevent the city from thriving.

the urban Boulevard

A new promenade is created! It’s a generous linear stretch of public spaces invading the main-street section within the downtown, then puncturing through the leisure park area by regenerating the heritage complex of the old railroad tracks, and fades out into the pedestrian loop around the dam-lake.

the landscape Crossings

Transversal path and connections link the town to its landscape surroundings, beyond topographic boundaries.

the Lanterns: acupuncture of programs

Lanterns have an intermediate status. They are third spaces, spaces in-between: they are urban catalysts of new special programs and activities punctuating the nodes of the site; on the other hand they are spaces exposed to Nature, transparent and permeable to Nature and flows, they are glazed volumes hosting water, trees and plants.

VISION FOR THE NEW RØDBERG

an attractive, lively, plural and inclusive environment, that can respond to the needs of its diverse city users. A fine mesh of accessible spaces bringing together the different and segregated islands of the current urban layout, as well as exposing and connecting them to their majestic natural landscape fronts. A network of high-quality places becoming the solid and cohesive structure for a steady programmatic implementation and upgrade, with the functions embodying the concept of contemporary productivity.

1_The Main street a shared space for the city centre

The open spaces are entirely designed for hard mobility, it’s a landscape for

cars, dominated by parking spaces and fast traffic along the main road. This environment, suggests fast motion is very unappealing for pedestrians and offers no place to stay. The downtown shared space it’s ground project, involving a massive repaving initiative. Cars impact is drastically reduced, cars will slow down and move more carefully on this precious new basalt stone carpet.

The street section is massively widened, all walls and balustrades are substituted with a varied landscape of ramps, tribune-steps and urban stairs.

2_The cascade a sequence of different meeting place

This gently sloping new promenade connection needs crossings in order to permeate and connect to the plurality of destinations already scattered at different levels along the rocky topography of the site.

The “cascade” connects the Rødberg school to the Uvdal River crossing safely the main road thanks to the new shared space and the controlled slow speed limit. The cascade is an articulate urban public space connected thanks to ramps, staircases and escalators, that improve the walkability of Rødberg center as a whole.

3_The Rail a linear spine for the park

Along the railway tracks the promenade is a landscape project of regeneration of the ground. the presence of nature autonomously growing within the cracks of derelict infrastructure is completely embraced and enhanced. Following the example of the high- line in NY, a new paving system along the tracks, long seating benches over- looking the lake coexist with a luxurious planting strategy of new trees and plants. In the park there are 3 woods:

#1Birches woods;

#2Small fruits woods;

#3 River woods

URBAN ORCHARD ROOFTOP

THE CASCADE AND THE NEW HOUSING BUILDING

URBAN CENTER AND MINI-FUNICULAR

LOCAL MARKET

SPORT CENTER AND RAILWAY PROMENADE

AQUA CENTER INDOOR POOL AND DECK

FOOD PROCESSING PLANT

SCIENCE CENTER

1_UP-CYCLE existing buildings in the town center

An infill strategy of densification of the residential spaces in the city center; this is part of an overall programmatic intensification, to foster Rødber as an attractive center.

2_SITE SPECIFIC INFILL STRATEGY preservation of heritage buildings

SITE SPECIFIC EXPANSION

Volume’s mirroring or extension: the original building is renewed in its urban and historic value.

EXPNANSION + NEW BUILDING

Combination of strategies: insertion of new buildings and expansions in close connection to the historic ones.

3_NEW BUILDING substitution & new construction

The new buildings are located on empty plots owned by the municipality or on those plots that become avaiable according to a planned demolition or relocation of services.

Short term / Nore Bridge area + Pioneering implementations

CONNECT: Shared space in the Nore Bridge area and entrance to the Main Street ATTRACT: infill along the Main Street + Lokstallen Market + Food Processing Plant

RE-PROGRAM: New Emergency Responce Center in the western expansion.

Medium term / The Urban Boulevard

CONNECT: Shared space along all the Main Street + Railway boulevard

ATTRACT: Mobility Hub + Numedal Valley Infocenter, Leisure Area & shoreside promenade

RE-PROGRAM: Demolition of the industry-house, relocation of services in the Emergency Center

Long term / Completing the Network

CONNECT: Micro mobility escalators and public stairs (The Cascade) along the Main Street, completion of the shoreside promenade, new street towards the western expansion of the city.

ATTRACT: Aqua center, Science and Energy Competency Center, New apartments