SKROGET - public gathering space and sauna
Almost 500 kilometres above the Arctic Circle, Båtsfjord stands at the edge of Norway, shaped by the sea, the climate and a strong fishing tradition. Known as Norway’s fishing capital, the town is also home to a diverse and international community. In this extreme landscape, where harsh weather often limits opportunities for gathering, the municipality envisioned a new public place by the harbour: a sauna and meeting space where people could come together.
Fifteen international architecture students from NTNU, through the Design in Context course, travelled to Båtsfjord for an intensive two-week design-and-build workshop. With only two days of design and ten days of construction, the project evolved directly on site, responding to the landscape, the climate and the available materials.
The result is an almost 40-metre-long structure, including the ramps, stretching along the shoreline. The building is conceived as a sequence of spaces that gradually moves from the public to the private: a fire pit, meeting spaces, changing rooms, showers and, at the heart of the sequence, the sauna. The architecture becomes a continuous promenade along the waterfront, encouraging movement, encounters and changing relationships with the landscape.
Nineteen identical timber frames establish the rhythm of the building while allowing maximum flexibility within the plan. Their geometry creates a deliberate duality. Towards the sea, each frame slopes downwards, opening the structure towards the water. On the opposite side, the frames open towards the south and the sun, forming sheltered places to sit and gather. This contrast between sea and sun, exposure and shelter, extends throughout the entire building.
The structural frame is divided into two complementary zones. A walkway along the southern side connects the different functions on the northern side. Two ramps at either end reinforce the building’s elongated character, transforming circulation into an architectural experience rather than simply a means of access.
The entire structure is built from reused 3 × 7-inch timber. The wood had previously been used by the municipality in another project before being dismantled due to changing circumstances. Instead of treating the reclaimed material as a limitation, we made it the defining element of the architecture. Its robust dimensions informed both the structural system and the overall character of the building, producing a sturdy construction intended to endure for decades.
The same timber extends beyond the structure into the furniture. Benches and tables reproduce the angles of the sloping frames, creating a continuous language between architecture and furnishings.
At both ends of the structure, meeting spaces anchor the building within the public life of Båtsfjord. From the street, visitors first encounter the fire pit, the most primitive and immediate form of gathering. Around the fire, the architecture creates a place to pause, meet and share.
CREDITS
Students
Adrian Lindseth-Haugvik, Alex Pfleiderer, Aleksandra Rachwał, Anita Podestà, Espen Oliver da Silva, Fantine Chauvelly, Frida Rydland Fossum, Lars De Ridder, Martin Happs, Matej Ponka, Merethe Amundsen Ruud, Seán McDonnell, Svea Asmussen, Tobias Øygard Skodvin, Villem Bergebakken Verliin
Teaching staff
Per Bue Berntsen, Sami Rintala, Paul Kerlaf
