The first students arrived to Xiamutang!

The final phase has finally started. Two students from SCS and three from TJU are already in Xiamutang, China to make sure all is ready for when the rest of us arrive. Thomas and Albert are checking the site, cleaning it and starting to cast the foundations for Walls. They were received by Mr. Wang who will be involved in the constructive process as well.

The rest of the class is working hard back in AHO to finish all the production information by Wednesday and have a week to double check all the drawings are correct.

Looking forward for the last week of hard work before the trip begins!

The Hedmark Museum

With the visit of the jury from China and after the votation process was over, Jan and Christian showed them around Oslo. On Monday, some of the SCS students joined for a visit to Hamar, and on Tuesday we had the chance to visit Oslo’s Opera House.

Here are some pictures of the Sverre Fehn’s museum taken by Jan K. Godzimirski.

The jury’s decision

Last Sunday, March 7th, the jury selected the winner project. All the jury members, Dr Sachao Xin, Chunhong Yan, Thomas McQuillan and Karl Otto Ellefsen, spent Sunday morning deliverating.

The A1 panels were pinned up in the studio and the jury went through all the video presentations. The final decision was made, the project called The Walls, from one of the SCS groups, was the selected one.

The main reason for this choice is the way that this project tackles the difficult problem of building on a tight sloping site. The parallel terraces that climb the slope, seemed to the jury to be a simple and effective way of dealing with a difficult site.
The jury commented on the elegance of the long spaces lit from above, containing the kitchen and dining. They also found the circulation through the building to be very well resolved for the program. The jury also commented that the heavy walls of this building were in sympathy to local building traditions, and that they distinguished the building from installations nearby.

However, inputs about what needs to be reconsidered were given. The material of the walls, the foundations and some structural aspects have to be rethought.

Video Call

Hi everyone,

The past week we had our first WeChat video call with our colleges in TJU! It was after Phase I and we got the chance to meet all the students and faculty involved in this year’s project.

The experience wasn’t as smooth as expected due to connectivity issues, but we were able to solve questions we all had after receiving each others projects. We discussed weather analysis concerns, program requirements such as the necessity of a bathroom or not, and the relationship between open-enclosed areas. We asked for a more accurate survey of the site, which should include a study on the soil composition.

After all, we decided to make a big chat group in WeChat were everyone can keep in touch.

Looking froward for next meeting!

Hi TJU!

The Studio

First days in the studio!