Sanden Hodnekvam

1.st place. Invited competition
Workshop,offices and student housing
Client: Studentsamskipnaden i Trondheim / SIT / NTNU
Location: Gjøvik, Norway
Collaborator/consultant: MDH Architects
Year: 2021

Winning proposal in the competition for student housing and office/workshop in Gjøvik, Norway.

The competition brief called for a mixed-use program containing offices and a workshop for the student welfare organisation, in addition to student housing.

We proposed an ensemble of wooden building surrounding as a new link between the university campus and the student village. Situated on two narrow plots, the project proposes to utilise the larger plot facing the university for student housing. The smaller plot facing the main road and railway line is intended for the office and workshop building, which protects the housing area from noise and establishes a natural separation between the housing area and the workshops.

The student house is proposed as a highly economical and rational building, yet the subtle shift in the building volume provide half of the apartments with facades facing in two directions. The compactness and rationality of the building system permits generous communal spaces, which are strategically placed to prevent long corridors and the feeling of living in an institution. The units are compact, yet wide enough to be furnished in different configurations.

The office and workshop building is a sibling of the student housing with a rational post-and-beam structure in wood. The repetetive facade with large openings in glass or polycarbonate provide a sense of lightness and openness. The project is a composition of three complimentary volumes that share a material language of wooden facades with horisontal reliefs and large openings. Together, the buildings make up a strong ensemble and create an intimate plaza that marks the end of the main street from the campus.