Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

I nordvästra Uppsala ligger stadsdelen Librobäck. Stadsdelen håller på att omvandlas från ett industriområde till ett område med mycket bostäder. För att denna stadsdelsomvandling skall lyckas krävs också att områdets grönområden utvecklas. Med anledning av detta görs här ett gestaltningsarbete göras som visar hur en utvald grönyta kan utvecklas.

Arbetet går ut på att inventera och analysera en plats för att ta fram en vision för hur området skall kunna utvecklas med hänsyn till platsens förutsättningar.

Genom att inventera och analysera platsens olika delområden framkom vilka ytor som lämpas särskilt bra för att bli vistelseytor när platsen skall omgestaltas. Dessa ytor valdes i gestaltningen ut som vistelseytor med karaktärer, funktioner och storlekar, passande för respektive yta. Analysen visade även vilka ytor som har en negativ påverkan på platsen. I gestaltningen föreslås att dessa ytor skall döljas från stråk och vistelseytor, alternativt utvecklas.

Innan gestaltningsprocessen startades lästes ett antal teorier om hur upplevelsevärden och naturvärden kan utvecklas i grönområden. Dessa underströk bland annat vikten av variation och flexibilitet, att göra ytor som kan passa så många som möjligt samt att ständigt bjuda på nya upplevelser när man rör sig i miljön. Andra viktiga aspekter som togs upp var att människor ofta föredrar välskötta miljöer samt olika typer av rumslighet.

Med dessa teorier som bakgrund arbetades ett visionärt förslag fram. Förslaget följer ett koncept som i huvudsak går ut på att uppmärksamma det naturligt vackra som finns i området samt att tillgängliggöra fler ytor. Samtidigt finns också en vilja att varva de naturliga kvaliteter som finns med nya tillägg för att skapa en variationsrik miljö där besökaren kan uppleva många olika vyer och funktioner.

Beskrivning av förslaget
För att samspela med angränsande ytor och bli ett intressant och variationsrikt område så gjordes en gestaltning där olika delområden fick olika karaktärer. Dessa delområden skiljer sig både gällande funktioner och karaktärer men lyfter alla fram platsens befintliga kvaliteter på olika sätt.

Intill de planerade bostäderna föreslås en mindre yta där anläggningsarbete och skötsel koncentreras. Här skall närheten till den meandrande bäcken uppmärksammas och området skall få en ordnad karaktär med stark rumlighet. Ytan är förhållandevis liten och föreslås bli områdets ”finpark”. Intill denna finpark kommer ytterligare en välskött yta anläggas, som de boende kan nyttja. För att ge ytan en flexibel användning föreslås här en gräsmatta samt en mindre mängd lekutrustning och möbler.

I resterande delar av arbetsområdet föreslås skötselnivån vara låg och den friväxande vegetationen får ge variation till de mer välskötta områdena. På de ytor som föreslås ha låga skötselnivåer kommer de naturliga kvaliteterna lyftas fram. Där ravinen är mäktig föreslås naturnära vistelseytor där stråk slingrar sig fram bland områdets skira ängsytor. Finns möjlighet bör försök att skapa större områden med ängskaraktär göras genom att mer frekvent slå ytorna så att vallörten utrotas alternativt hålls nere. Ängsytorna ger karaktär åt arbetsområdet och kopplar samman gestaltningen med områdets tidigare namn ”Libroängen”

Området ska omvandlas så mycket att det känns nytt och intressant. Med sina nya upplevelsevärden och goda kopplingar till närliggande grönområden och stadsdelar ska det fungera som stadsdelens hjärta. Ett hjärta som alla ska känna sig hemma i och som bjuder många funktioner och upplevelser i naturens tecken.

Librobäck is a city district in northwestern Uppsala. As Uppsala grows, more central dwellings are needed and therefore, Librobäck is being transformed from an industrial area to a residential area. When the district is being transformed even the green areas have to develop. For this reason Uppsala municipality wants a study that shows how a selected green area in Librobäck can be designed to fit the new character of the district.

The selected area is a narrow place with a meandering stream (Librobäcken), a gorge and natural areas with tall vegetation and a lot of trees and bushes along the stream. The municipality wants this natural area to be transformed to a neighbourhood park where the stream gets a more important role than today.

Inventory and analysis
To investigate how the area should be developed to become the district´s heart with more interesting experience values, there was an inventory and an analysis of the place. The purpose was to develop a vision for how the area could be developed to be naturally beautiful with resonable effort and cost.

The inventory and the analysis included both site visits and literature studies.

Literature studies
To develop a vision with strong experience values some theories about experience values were studied. These theories told, among other things, that a place should have varied spatiality, give fascination, have good microclimate and additionally varied sigh lines. The theories also narrate that a place seems extra attractive it is well managed. These theories was the basis for the vision in this work.

Besides this studies about why green spaces i good for the society were made. This study told that green space is good for both the public health, the social sustainability, the ecological sustainability and maybe even for the economy.

Site visits
When studying the topography, vegetation, climate, sound environment, spatiality and the plans for the district, it appeared which sites that had good potential to become “stay areas” and which sites that need to be developed or excluded from the area. Besides this, the inventory and the analysis showed that parts of the area are likely to be flooded within one hundred years. In order to avoid possible flooding devastating the area, parts that are likely to be flooded must consist of green space and not of buildings.

The inventory is also told that the soil is prone to landslides. Due to this, the design shouldn’t include much transformation of the terrain in, or next to, the stream bed. The stream bed must, just like today, include both trees, bushes and herbaceous plants to decrease the landslide risk as much as possible. There is a landslide risk in all types of construction work which must be taken into account when the design proposal will be made.

Other important information that the inventory and analysis gave can be summarized in seven points:

1. The topography and the meandering stream are naturally beautiful and unique qualities of the area.

2. The stream is inaccessible because of tall vegetation and since there are no paths where the stream can be seen from.

3. The site has healthy and big trees and bushes which should be preserved but the species diversity is poor. The poor species diversity makes the experience of the place a bit monotonous.

4. Since the area is almost exclusively made up by natural areas and has very low maintenance level, there is a small variation of experience and the site has few features. There are no gathering points or focus points and no natural places for visitors to stay in the area. There are also very few sight lines when walking through the area since the paths are completely straight. This makes the variation of experience even worse.

5. The area has both nice sites with gossamer meadows and sites with robust comfrey. The comfrey becomes brown and looks bad in the end of the summer but is hard to clear away.

6. There is no varied spatiality since there are no small separated rooms that are accessible in the area, only big rooms.

7. There are several barriers in the area. Due to this, the area feels discontinuous and better connections are needed between the different sites. Better connections to the green spaces and city district in the northwest of Uppsala are also necessary.

This information gave good opportunities to make a credible and attractive design.

Design proposal
To solve the problem that the area has and to pay attention to the places’ strengths, a design that divides the area into smaller parts with different character is being proposed. By this proposal the area becomes more varied and there will be more experiences and features when visiting the area.

Fine park
At a place next to the stream where the views of the stream are good and the planned dwellings are close, a “fine park” is being proposed. By concentrating management and efforts to a smaller part of the area, a well maintained and tidy area can be created with relatively low costs. In this area the stream must be in focus. By creating a lawn with a wooden deck next to the water, and plant perennials and colorful bushes to frame the site, the area will get a unique neat place with water in focus. In order to let the water be an asset even when there are low water levels the water could be dammed next to this place.

Lawn park
To give the area a flexible spot where many can gather, an open lawn is being proposed. This should be next to the fine park in order to create an interesting and nice target point in the middle of the area. Since this area will be next to the planned dwellings even some play equipment could be appropriate to place in or next to this area.

Natural areas with meadows
With the intention to highlight the site’s natural qualities the areas with meadow will be preserved as they are. If there is money, the meadow character areas could be expanded. To do this, some attempts to mow down some parts of the areas with comfrey can be done. By more frequent mowing, other species haves better possibilities to grow up and give the area a stronger meadow character. Furthermore, the meadows can give spatiality to the area.

Green passage
Where the area is being divided by a barrier, a good overpass is needed. A good overpass not only means a safe passage but also means a nice and green passage that can bind the different parts of the area both physically and visually.

Natural areas with targets points next to the gorge
Where the stream bed is mighty and becomes a gorge, the topographic experience is unique and the nature experience is great. To use this quality in the design proposal, an accessible site where visitors can sit and admire the place should be constructed.

Since there isn’t any plan to build dwellings next to this area today, there is no reason to change the character of this place. The place should, just like today, be a naturally beautiful place with low maintenance level. If the adjacent field next to this area will be turned into a residential area, a more park-like design can be appropriate. Until then there is no reason to propose more maintenance for this area. However, a path that makes the site accessible is needed and there should be easier to stay and enjoy the place.

The different parts with different characters are being bound together by a concept. This concept consists of a willingness to highlight the qualities that already exist (especially the meadows, the water and the topographic expression), creating new and more varied experiences and raising the status of the area. Furthermore, the accessibility, the flexibility and the connection to paths nearby are important. Another interest is that all equipment (play equipment and furniture) should be of wood not to destroy the nature feeling.

The result of this concept is for instance more paths, and more organic paths, to make a larger part of the area more accessible, both physically and visually. Additionally, more varied terrain is an important aspect while designing the area and that is why four different areas with a common concept have been proposed.

Today the area is an anonymous green space. One part of the area is sandwiched between industries and the other part is inaccessible since it is completely separated from the areas footpaths. The described design proposal transforms the area from this anonymous character to a place to enjoy. A place where children can play and all people can gather, eat their lunch and above all, they can experience beautiful and varied nature with unique values. To see how the area can be developed to attract people in the neighborhood and from the rest of Uppsala, see illustrates on pages 60-67.

Before the design process started, literature dealing with experience values and nature values were studied. The theories in the literature tell that varied spatiality, elements and experiences are very important when a green space shall provide good experience values. Since all of this was important when the design proposal was created, these theories serve as a support to the design proposal.