Langøya

The island has been isolated from the public for more than hundred years, because of its industry. The project tries to tell three different stories; The past will try to create a new destination for visitors, overlooking the old limestone quarry. The present focuses on the landfill and toxic waste with a new Research Center. The future will frame the old quarry with subtle objects in the landscape. 

The industry at Langøya is now getting towards an end. It all started in the early 19th century when it changed from being an inhabited beautiful island in the Oslofjord to become a new industrial island for limestone mining. With over hundred years and ten million tonns of limestone mining, the island made a total transformation and left two big quarries behind. The municpitatnt couldn’t leave it behind and had to find a solution where they decided to fill it up with Toxic waste. Trying to get it back to its originale typology. As the waste is an urgent problem and a solution is often impeded by a lack of knowledge and emotional awareness. This project deals with the sensitive issue by approaching it architecturally and rethinking the concept behind the islands history. 

Since the beginning of landfill, NOAH which owns the island has done research on the Toxic waste. They came up with a mixture that made the sulfuric acid and fly ash to a plaster like material that could be used for landfilling. As the haven’t filled up all the quarries. I find it important to keep some of the history and identity to the Island. The Northern quarry is filled up and closed with limestone and clay. The middle quarry is filled up, and is today closing off. Therefore I decided to hypotetical divide the island into three catogories. The past, the present and the future. The past tries to show and tell a story of the old limestone quarry. The present becomes a visitors- and researchcenter for the future of toxic waste. And the last part will try to frame the old quarry with smaler sublime objects in the landscape. 

In this project, the quarry would be preserved as a cultural monument and at the same time, gain a new function. The landscape one the island is dramatic. This calls for a powerfull architectural expression. The design therefore attempt to mediate between the aesthetics of the former industry, the structure as attraction and function in a spectacular landscape, while playing on the constrast between heavy and light. This proposal focuses on how to place a building of this scale with consideration of the landscape. The island becomes a new destinationn for local and international scientists and visitors, where they can experience all tree transformations it’s been through.