Thursday 30th March

Today was a long day - we had a trip to Oslo and then, finally, we started to work on our projects.

We started the day by taking the ferry to Oslo in order to meet Yngve Hegrenes - an

architect responsible for management of transformation processes working in the Oslo municipality.

Although we were very excited for the trip, unfortunately, the weather greeted us with cold wind

and rain which made the walk a little more tiring.

We met our guide in the Oslo harbour and then we followed him to Studenterlunden. On the

way we discussed the experience of a car-free area and how creating a framework of development

of Oslo looks like. Then we admired the city layout

around the Royal Palace inspired by the ideas of

Enlightenment. It was a very inspiring and thought-

provoking lesson, especially that we were able to

hear a lot about how the architecture and space are

tied to the history of the city and the whole

Norwegian nation. We even had some time to walk

around the area and experience the importance of

harmony and order in city-planning.

Next, we walked around the Renaissance part of the

city, where we were able to see the difference

between the ideas behind city planning in the 1600s

and 1850s. It was really interesting to discover what

the reason behind the differences in the city tissue

is. We have also investigated the possible obstacles

which may occur during the introduction of a car

free area. How is the city going to manage the

deliveries? How are the inhabitants of these zones

going to commute? These are the problems that

have to be faced by city planners.

Another thing that we learned is how the priorities

change overtime and how the city planners have to adapt existing areas to new needs following the

example of Eidsvolls Plass. The City Government wants to create a greener and warmer city with

room for everyone. The life of the city shall be vibrant, the air cleaner and the arrangements for

pedestrians and cyclists better. A centre without cars shall be easily accessible and make more room

for life in the streets and pleasant meeting areas.

We finished the trip at Torggata, where we were introduced to the impact that different materials

have on the overall climax of the area. We admired some elements of cityscape like pot plants and

bike stops.

Later, with the heavy rain to accompany us, we ran to the ferry, which took us back to Nesodden.

To finish off the day, inspired by the three trips to Oslo, we started working on our projects. We

started drafting our plans for the area and made a framework for the next day.













In the evening we spent some time with our hosts, and some of us went to Oslo for the dinner and

other fun activities (e.g.: bowling!).

WEDNESDAY 29th March

During our 4th day in Norway we’ve visited its capital city
- Oslo. At 10 we were finally there, and could meet our
guide, who took us for a walk around Fjordbyen. We had a
chance to see Akershus fortress - a medieval castle that
was built to protect Oslo. It was king Christian IV who
had the castle modernised and converted into a
Renaissance castle and royal residence.



Then we visited a place broadly described in every
Norwegian guidebook - ‘ The Bank Square ‘. Also
called Bankplassen, it’s a square in the
neighbourhood Kvadraturen in Oslo, where the
Norges Bank and Engebret Cafe - a restaurant which
is well-known for the famous artists who have
frequently visited it, such as Henrik Ibsen and Edvard
Munch. Our guide talked about the purpose of the buildings that were there and how some of them have been repurposed over the years. She also showed us how some parts of the centre were from different eras. This was very interesting because it showed us that you don’t need to build new things in order to make a space useful again.



Around noon we’ve entered the Oslo Opera House
- the home of the Norwegian National Opera and
Ballet. The group was split in two smaller groups and we each went through the building. Everyone was astonished by the beauty of
this building - Tarald Lundevall, the man behind the
architecture of the Opera, most certainly did a
remarkable job.  The tour included an explanation of the choices that were made in relation to the architecture and the decoration. For example, the wood structure of the building wasn’t made by woodworkers, but by boatbuilders because they’re used to working with big structures.We were given an opportunity to go
behind the scenes and find out more about the work
of the opera’s employees. We even attended a
rehearsal of one of the shows which will soon be
officially performed.




After a lunch break we were walking along the Havnepromenaden, a walkway in the district of
Sørenga, guided by Jenny Ann Flø from Bymiljøetaten. She talked to us about a project she is involved with which involved using materials that could be reused in other places than Oslo. This was also very interesting because it taught us about durability of materials. In general, we thought the trip to Oslo was very educational and we picked up a lot of things to use in our own project.Having successfully caught a boat (whichwas not that obvious), we got back to our host families in Nesodden around 16.

Monday 27th March

Today was a very exciting day. We got the opportunity to meet all the people from the different countries in the morning. We started at 08.15 with a presentation about CITIES and later, all the pretasks from the different member countries. Norway started with a presentation about Steilene, followed by Germany about Rees. Later, the Netherlands talked about Amersfoort, Poland about Poznan and finally Spain about Sa Como.


We had a break where we could talk to the others, and got divided into groups with one from every country. We presented ourselves and had a chance to talk to each other.


We ate lunch outside at 11.30, where we got baguettes and Bris, Norwegian sparkling water, from the school's cafeteria.


Our fieldtrip started at 12.00 and we walked to Tangenåsen for a presentation about Nesodden by the planning committee for the municipality's planning department. They talked about the different issues we are facing, and what factors we had to consider when planning an area. It lasted for about an hour, and we then walked towards Tangen Brygge, the ferry terminal. We had a lot of time to look at the buildings on the way down, and visited Hornstranda, one of the local beaches and bathing places near the ferry terminal. We watched the Color Line ferry from Denmark and relaxed. Later, we walked to the actual terminal and took Pictures of the whole group. We saw the area which we later are supposed to develop, and then took the bus home.


We had the international evening which started at 18.15. Everybody brought something to eat. The Norwegians brought salmon, Poland brought sausages and many kinds of sweets, Spain brought bread, sweets and meat, and the Dutch brought stroop waffles and pancakes. Germany brought sausages and sauerkraut. There was plenty for everyone to eat.

There was Entertainment for everyone while they were eating. Nicolai Bo Fischer danced a spectacular Norwegian folk Dance, and students could try "Hallingkast" - when you have to try to kick a hat off a pole. Sabina and Kristin performed "Stay" and William and Jonathan Ho played a string duet. Nordre Nesodden skolekorps, the local School band, also marched in and played Three traditional Norwegian Marches.

We platyed a few games, "Zip, Zap, Boing", "Yellow Ball" and "Symphony" led by Jørgen Moltubak, one of the Norwegian teachers. Maya, one of the German teachers, taught us some salsa dancing and the rest of the night was just talking, dancing and laughing. Everybody had a good time before going home.

 

Tuesday 28th March


We started at the school at 8 am and did some work on the project "Erasmus +". Later we took the bus to the Ferry station in Nesodden. We arrived in Oslo and met our tour guide.The weather was sunny. First, we walked to Akerselva, a river which flows through the whole city. Akerselva was the industrial center from the 1840s to 1970s. Now the river is used for offices and leisure time. The river is also called "green lung of Oslo", there are many paths for hiking and cycling. Next to the river there are a lot of old buildings. The oldest one is from the 17th century. Furthermore, we saw a building which is called "Hausmania". It is a house for artists. Many of the old factories have been turned into new uses for example like cafès and restaurants. We walked from Grønland to Mathallen( foodhall), there we a had lunch at 1o'clock. Some of us ordered sushi, pizza or pasta.
After lunch we took the tram to "Vigelandsparken". "Vigelandsparken" is in the destrict Frogner, so the park is also called ''Frognerparken''.The park is filled with naked sculptures and shows the circulations for each life stages. The most popular sculptures are "Sinnataggen"  and "Monalitten". "Sinnataggen" is a male baby sculpture which stamps and cries. "Monalitten" is a pillar which is about 17m high with 121 people in it. The sculptor Gustav Vigeland made all 212  sculptures in the park. His idea of showing different activities like walking dancing love and death imparts emotions to the visitors. Finally, everyone was allowed to walk around in the park and visit Oslo again. We went to the castle, the parliament and the university.

Pictures: Galleri, Hausmania, colorful building, Oslo

Preparation for the project week in Norway

21/03/2017


Just a few days until everyone arrives in Norway for a Project week looking at neglected spaces. All the students are working hard on their pretasks, in preparation for the week ahead.


Polish students

German students



Project week in Amersfoort, the Netherlands

Amersfoort 2017

Sunday 22nd January 

We all came to Amersfoort on Sunday 22, in January 2017. We arrived from Nesodden, Ibiza, Rees and Poznan, excited to participate in a week with collaboration, learning, excursions, discussions, social activities and general fun together.

Monday 23rd January

On Monday morning, everyone met at Farel College. We all got information about the main task and the plan for the project. The students and teachers all got acquainted with each other. The Dutch teachers had prepared games and ice breakers in which everyone participated. We all had a lot of fun. The students then got on to the presentations they had prepared for the pre-tasks.

Later we decided on which map we were going to use as a basis for all the tasks. Poland was the clear winner!

  

 

Later that day, after the lunch break, the delegations were divided in three separate groups. The groups then set out to explore the city and architecture of various parts of the city. One of the groups went by bicycle, which was a good – but maybe also a bit cold, experience for the non-Dutch.

International Evening

In the evening everyone, including the host families, gathered for the International Evening. Everyone had prepared lots of food which everyone enjoyed. The teachers had arranged a photo scavenging hunt which was promptly ignored by the students who would rather dance!

All in all a good day with lots of excitement and new impressions. Sure to last for a life time!

(On a side note: the Norwegian contribution to the food was deemed a bit underwhelming, but the smoked salmon certainly grew wings and disappeared. Can’t say the same for the brunost…)

Tuesday 24. January

We had a really busy and fun day on Tuesday; visiting first Delft University in the morning.

At Delft University we had a 'master class' about city development with special care for sustainability and city planning. We also learned that the most important thing in a city is the people living there, and not the city itself.

We had a lovely lunch (great cafeteria there!) at Delft University, with the rare opportunity to sit outside in the sun and enjoy our lunch!





After lunch we went to Rotterdam, and visited a very interesting building; the market hall. It did–amongst other things–contain Europes' biggest piece of art, covering all of the ceiling and walls inside. Impressive!

On the inside, looking out. 

 Part of the painting covering the ceiling.

More from the ceiling.

We were told about how Rotterdam was bombed during the Second World War, and so had to be rebuilt almost from scratch.

Wednesday 25. January

Wednesday was back to Farel College in Amersfoort. The students got to apply their newly acquired knowledge to the task at hand. The theme of the day was the importance of cooperation and planning. Several challenges had been prepared for the students. They all went about the challenges with heart-warming enthusiasm, despite the cold Dutch weather. 

Thursday 26. January

Thursday was a great day, because we were so fortunate to go to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a city with a lot of 'action', also in regards to planning and building activity for both business and housing. It is also a lot of tourism, and cultural activities going on all the time. The city was crowded, buzzing, moving, exciting and also very cold! We went to see a model of a big area that was under development, and had been developed for the last 25 years as well. So this was long time planning, and a continuous process constantly being under revision for new things to come. Very impressive and very interesting to watch and hear about.

After a little bit more sightseeing in an architectural context, everyone had a couple hours of free time for lunch and sightseeing/shopping as 'normal' tourists in Amsterdam.

At the end of the day, we had one more little post on the program, and that was to visit a museum called 'het schip' (the ship). It was interesting to learn about how the workers of Amsterdam took things in their own hands and started building houses for themselves with a much better standard than they had from before.

Friday 27. January

Today was the Grand Finale of the project. The actual span of the week's tasks seemed to slowly dawn on the students as they started making the final sketches of their future ideal city. It was a day filled with great discussion and a lot of creativity.
  

It all came to a climax with the final presentation of the future city and how it was designed with the different themes in mind. The students presented their ideas regarding the sub themes in convincing manner. It shows that the students have reflected on very important matters concerning creating a sustainable future for our cities, its inhabitants and the planet on which we are living.

 It was not without a bit of competition, however, and the “Inhabitants”- group was crowned the winner with their clear goals for the future city.