Europan 15 in Norway - Three Norwegian cities participate in Europan 15

The 15th edition of the now 30-year-old Europan competition addresses the theme of productivity and ecological transition in cities. With a rising awareness of climate change and its global consequences, the competition is now more topical than ever. Europe is witness to a new wave of extremist movement, while differences between urban and rural areas keep growing. Europan asks the new generation of architects and urban planners the heated questions of our time: how will we maintain equality and openness in our society, how do we cut our consumption levels while staying productive, how can we bring back balance with our environment? As future architects and urban planners, the competitors are in a position to defi ne how these challenges will be met. Europan Norway believes that Europan is a tool to engage with these issues - and an arena to speak up.

About the participating Norwegian sites in Europan 15:

The three sites of Europan Norway focus particularly on the interaction vbetween the rural and urban, the local and global. Each town inhabits a unique position in a network of relationships within collective knowledge, industries and ecosystems.

GUOVDAGEAIDNU: MAKE A STORYBOARD FOR THE FUTURE
Guovdageaidnu, a stronghold for Sámi tradition, looks for alternative approaches to planning with a need to include Sámi values in the planning practise. The competition task is to visualise ideas for a series of interventions and projects that can renew the economical and social productiveness in Guovdageaidnu. How can the community capitalize on traditional know-how and self-reliance combined with advanced education, ICTs and high-tech? How can the landscape constitute new guiding principles for planning? The municipality looks for alternative approaches to planning that encompass new readings of the landscape and the abundant diversity of local initiatives.

RØDBERG: INTENSIFY THE PRODUCTIVE TERRITORY
Hydropower production, farming, and a growing number of second-home dwellers dominate the local economy of Rødberg. The town, where the rural and urban overlap, needs clever advertising of its hidden potential and unique resources. A renewal of the town centre should frame a forerunner in the movement towards a sustainable future in rapid change.ow can Rødberg develop more attractivity both for local residents, second home dwellers, investors and entrepreneurs? Can a strategy connecting Rødberg to the productive territory reverse the decline of the trading industry, put new life into empty premises and give life to the town centre?

RAUFOSS: CONNECTED CITY, CONNECTED LIVING
Raufoss, a small town with global connections, is home to Raufoss Industrial Park, a hub of competence in robotics and automation with 60.000 yearly visitors. In the midst of agricultural landscape, the municipality calls for a densifi ed town with a mixture of programmes and typologies, integrating the synergetic fl ux of the industrial park. The competition site is in the middle of down-town and has a key position as it borders on the main street, the river, the railroad, the industrial park, and the shopping centre. By way of its location, the site has the potential to tie Raufoss together and become a connecting link to integrate production closer in the city mesh.

Register at www.europan-europe.com.
Deadline for proposals is the 28th of July and the winners will be announced on the 2nd of December.
Prizes: 1st prize of 12.000 Euros and runner-up 6000 Euros.
For more information contact at post@europan.no. or go to www.europan.no or www.europan-europe.com.

Facts about Europan:
• European architecture and urban planning competition for architects, landscape architects and urban planners under 40 years old. This year, also student admission is allowed.
• Europan Norway is a foundation organising the Norwegian Europan competition. Europan Norway is composed of a secretariat and a board with representatives from The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Bergen School of Architecture, The National  Association of Norwegian Architects, Design and Architecture Norway and The Norwegian University of Life Sciences. The competition is fi nanced by its clients and partners and the Norwegian Ministry of Culture.