Architecture firms LOCAL and PIR2 have completed works on a sustainable activity park for clients Vestland County Council and Etne Municipality.
Named Skakkeringen, the park is part of Vestland County’s endeavour to transform “innovative activity facilities that transforms the role of public school in rural municipalities.” Located adjacent to the Skakke Cultural Center in Etne, Norway, the 2,000 square metre community park is an ‘open schoolyards’ concept which can be “accessed by the general public without fences and open at all times, without schedule, to be used day and night.”
Transforming the space around Skakke Cultural Center into a zestful public square for Etne’s residents, Skakkeringen fosters community, the park now home to a flexible area for ball games, concerts, outdoor cinema, as well as community events; all set among ample green spaces, gardens and quiet zones for mental repose and informal gatherings.
A stage roof adds year-round opportunities for cultural activities, making Skakkeringen a vibrant space for both play and connection. The project is all woven together by an unbroken pathway, ‘the ring’, which enables users to move alongside each activity whilst unifying the project as a whole.
The community itself got involved in the conception and design, LOCAL and PIR2 conducting interviews, workshops and surveys with local youngsters allowing them to share their ideas for a place where they could feel welcome and take ownership. Their input — and desires for an area to climb, play ball games, hang out, and relax in nature — directly shaped the design, creating a square that meets their needs while also welcoming seniors and families.
This multi-generational approach brings together people of all ages, fostering a stronger sense of belonging and pride in their community. It represents a positive negotiation of ownership that allows the local sport club, the school, the retirement home and the farmers’ association to co-organise and utilise the space with the support of the cultural centre next door.
With sustainability at the forefront of the design, the designers used recycled aluminium from the local HYDRO plant, 100% CLT timber construction, and green roofs; the project serving as an act of renaturing, transforming an asphalted area and challenging the prevailing trend of overly asphalted schoolyards today.
A declaration of how shared spaces can strengthen rural communities and create new opportunities for meaningful connection, Skakkeringen is a local park this beautiful corner of Norway can be proud of.
@_locallll
@pir2arkitektur
@vestlandfylke
@etnekommune
Skakkeringen Park Photography, Arkitekturfoto by Artishot.
Project Data:
Team: LOCAL, PIR2
Team members: Christine Gjermo, Silje Lockert, Kjartan Neckelmann, Elida Mosquera, Jerome Picard, Ellen Reitan, Miriam Sharp Pierson
Client: Vestland County Council & Etne Municipality
Builder: Vaglid AS (Main builder) with Procon (Structure), Helgevold (Electro), BDL (Sust.), Splitkon (CLT Wood), Betong park (Skatepark),
Photographer: Arkitekturfoto by Artishot
Year: 2022-2024
Program: 2000m2 Landscape, Playground, Outdoor pavilion
Rendering: Onirism, LOCAL
