We were given the opportunity to take part in a study trip to Scandinavia for a six days during September, which saw four students travel to Oslo and Copenhagen. The trip exposed us to contemporary and vernacular approaches of design where regional form and identity is used to create a strong relationship with place. We were able to experience first-hand the importance of genius loci, or sense of place, as advocated by Christian Norberg-Schulz, and ‘critical regionalism’ as discussed by Kenneth Frampton. The itinerary for the trip highlighted specific built examples which clearly illustrated the relationship between people, place and environment, low-energy design and innovative use of materials.
The trip started with three days in Oslo and we were fortunate to time our visit with the Doors Open Day as part of the Oslo Architecture Triennale. This allowed entry into a number of buildings not usually open to the public. We visited private residences in both urban and suburban contexts, as well as guided tours around the Oslo Opera House, designed by Snohetta, and a Masters Unit exhibition at the Oslo school of Architecture.
From Oslo we travelled to Copenhagen where we spent a further three days. This part of the trip included a day excursion to Sweden where we visited Sigurd Lewerentz’s St Petri Church. While in Copenhagen we visited a number of examples of inner city housing, illustrating both contemporary and vernacular approaches to design. In Copenhagen we experienced Jan Gehl’s successful urban strategy for pedestrianizing the city centre. With the vast reduction of vehicular routes, priority has been given to pedestrians, creating boulevards, city squares and street cafes.
The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The experience has allowed us to expand our knowledge and understanding of different approaches to design and we hope to apply what we have learnt to our projects this year.
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