SJØPARKEN
the coolest housing development I know of is on the south coast of
Norway. about 140 km south of Oslo near Stavern. it is a project in progress but much is already finished and people have been living there for maybe 4 years.
some of the buildings are on artificial islands, some right over the water and some on fast land.
the view from one of the islands connected by this bridge. in the background is an old industrial area that is being/ has been converted into offices, studios, galleries, etc. the housing is constructed where there previously was a small port servicing the industry
there are docks for boats along much of the canal on both sides. many of the housing units include dock space for your (small) boat. i took these photos in March when there were just a coupe of boats in the water.
lots of glass facades
the general orientation of the project is to the east where there open water and great opportunities to view the sun rising
a shot from an entrance. while short term access by car is allowed it is essentially a car-free area with no parking directly by the housing units. of course, each unit has a garage and there is ample outdoor parking outside the entrances.
some of the units are on pillars, creating a sheltered open ground-level area underneath.
the view down one of the canals
all in all, not too shabby a place to live. while the units are far from cheap they are actually not much more expensive than comparable modern condominiums in far less attractive locations.
