WE TRY TO PLAN IT SO PERFECTLY, 2011

WE TRY TO PLAN IT SO PERFECTLY
– Congress 8-10 June 2011 in Oslo

The congress is structured as an equivalent dramaturgy[2]where; art works, group discussions, performance lectures, workshops as well as the contributors and participators are placed on an equal footing during the event, to enable different view points emerge in an active meaning production in yet not known knowledge field.

Based on the event a range of the participators will present in-depth reflections on the congress debates, in essay formats and artistic contributions for a forthcoming publication. The publication is due late fall 2011.

Exhibition: Include Kjersti Andvig, Tarek Atoui, Marcus Coates, Per Formo, Melanie Gilligan, Emma Kay, Eemil Karila, Katarina Löfström, Audun Mortensen, Cirpian Muresan, Dan Perjovschi, Anders Smebye, Helene Sommer, Magnus Thorén, Magnus Wallin, Unnar Örn.

Participators: Include Ole- Petter Arneberg, Knut- Ove Arntzen, Venke Aure, Siri Dokkan, Mohammed Fazlhashemi, Bodil Furu, Thorbjørn Gabrielsen, Sidsel Grafer, Helena Granström, Hannah Kaihovirta- Rosvik, Eivind Lentz, Henning Gärtner, Ebba Moi, Eirik Myrhaug, Anu Pennanen, Arne Ruth, Sigrid Røyseng, Ådne Sekkelsten, Goro Tronsmo, Johan Widén, Erik Øvreland.

Performances: Include Malin Hellkvist Sellén, Amund Sveen Sjølie

2.
Ved konstruksjonen av en bygning har man en arbeidsprosess med flere elementære faser. Prosessen starter med oppmåling for å markere bygningens nøyaktige posisjon. Deretter begynner grunnarbeidet. Tiden for grunnarbeidet varierer avhengig av tomtens beskaffenhet. Så bygges grunnmuren, som etterfølges av reisverket. Den mest tidkrevende fasen er innredningsarbeidet. Når bygningen står ferdig, foretas en endelig besiktning for å sikre at alle involverte parter har fulgt konstruksjonsplanen.

Abraj Al Bait-tårnene i Mekka, ferdigstilles i 2020. Arkitekt­firmaet Dar Al Handasah har tegnet anlegget. Konstruk­sjonsarbeidet blir utført av Saudi Binladin Group.

3.
I løpet av 1870-tallet skjøt industrialiseringen fart langs Akerselva. Bygningsmassen i området gjennomgikk en hurtig forvandling. På begynnelsen av 1900-tallet bygde man spesialiserte industrilokaler som bare produserte ett produkt. Disse bygningene ble vanligvis utstyrt med sagtanntak for å øke lysinnslippet. Fram til 1920 ekspanderte industrien rundt Akerselva. Utviklingen i området avtok gradvis, og størstedelen av industri­virksomheten ble avviklet i løpet av 1970-tallet.

Motiv fra Akerselva, litografi av A. Nay etter original av F. Loos fra 1857. Eies av Oslo Museum.

I 1921 ble det etablert en yrkesrettet læreanstalt ved Elvebakken. Den fikk navnet Kristiania fag- og forskole for håndverk og industri i 1925. Skolen skulle imøtekomme industriens behov for økende spesi­alisert arbeidskraft. Først i 1976 fikk den navnet Elvebakken videregående skole. Institusjonen har bevart sin sterke yrkesrettede tradisjon.

4.
I 1949 etablerte arkitekten Minoru Yamasaki et eget firma i Detroit. Det fikk gjennom hele 50-tallet flere betydningsfulle byggeprosjekter, blant annet det omfattende sosiale boligkomplekset Pruitt-Igoe i St. Louis.

I 1954 fikk Yamasaki livstruende magesår på grunn av den store arbeidsbyrden. Han valgte å reise til Japan for å hvile og kontemplere over arkitektureni foreldrenes hjemland. Senere snakket han om den perioden som et vendepunkt i arbeidet sitt.

Byggearbeidsplassen for World Trade Center i 1969.

«I realized there’s a strong danger of an architect getting involved in too many things for the sake of
society.»I 1986 døde han av ondartet magekreft. Han ble dermed skånet mot å bevitne ødeleggelsen av hans mesterverk, de to tvillingskyskraperne i New York som stod ferdige i 1973.

I 2009 gikk arven etter den modernistiske stilskaperen konkurs. Firmaet hadde stor gjeld og sto overfor omfattende rettslige tvister, og ble i tillegg be­skyldt for flere usaklige arbeidsforhold.

5.
Fire entreprenører ble stevnet for Oslo ting­rett i 2001. Rettssaken gjaldt ulykken ved Stovnersenteret der 100 kvadratmeter betongtak raste ned i 1997. Et springende punkt i saken var hvilken av de fire partene som var ansvarlig for at den bærende søylen kollapset.

Ulykken ved Stovnersenteret i 1997.

I juni 2001 ble Steen & Strøm Entreprenører dømt til å betale halvannen million kroner i bot. Retten mente firmaet hadde gjort seg skyldig i en grov overtredelse for å spare penger.

6.
Riving er en aktivitet hvor en bygning som har tjent sitt formål nedmonteres. Det finnes flere årsaker til å rive en bygning. Den kan for eksempel være gammel og falleferdig, eller det skal ryddes plass for noe annet på tomten der bygningen står.

Sprengningen av Pruitt-Igoe bygningskompleks i 1972.

Teknikkene for riving varierer. Med riktig kunnskap kan et byggverk til og med rives ved at man sprenger det. Dette gjøres med høy presisjon.

Når man river en bygning, er de viktigste aspektene å planlegge hvordan man skal ta hånd om avfallet. Man demonterer de delene som kan gjenbrukes på forskjellig vis. Man opptar en fortegnelse over alt miljøfarlig avfall før rivingen, og planlegger hvordan det skal tas hånd om og saneres.

Rickard Borgström – Kurator

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1
We Try to Plan it so Perfectly.

1. IMAGE TEX The Abraj Al-Bait Towers in Mecca will be completed in 2020.The firm of architects Dar Al-Handasah is responsible for the project. The construction work is being undertaken by the Saudi Binladin Group.

2
The construction of a building is a process that comprises several elementary phases. It begins by taking measurements to determine the exact position of the building. Then the groundwork begins. The duration of the groundwork will depend on the condition of the plot. Next, the foundations are laid, followed by the framework. The most time-consuming phase is the installation phase. Once the building is completed, a final inspection is carried out to make sure that all the parties involved have followed the building plan.

3
During the course of the 1870s, industrialisation along the Akerselva River gathered momentum. The building mass in the area underwent a rapid transformation. At the beginning of the 1900s, special-purpose industrial buildings were built for the manufacture of specific products. These buildings were usually constructed with sawtooth roofs to provide as much daylight as possible. Industrial activity along the Akerselva River continued to expand until 1920, after which time it began to slow down, and most of it disappeared during the 1970s.

In 1921 a vocational training institution was founded at Elvebakken. It was given the name of Kristiania fag- og forskole for håndverk og industri in 1929. The school was to meet the needs of industry for a more specialised labour force. The school was renamed Elvebakken videregående skole in 1976. The institution has retained its strong vocationally-oriented tradition.

3. IMAGE TEXT Motif from the Akerselva River. Lithograph by A Nay of the original by F Loos from 1857. Owner: Oslo Museum.

4
In 1949 the architect Minoru Yamasaki founded his own company in Detroit. The company won a number of important construction contracts throughout the 1950s, including the large-scale Pruitt-Igoe social housing project in St. Louis.

In 1954 Yamasakiwas diagnosed with life-threatening ulcers brought on by the heavy workload. He decided to travel to Japan to rest and contemplate the architecture of his parents’ homeland. He later described this period as a turning point in his career.

«I realized there’s a strong danger of an architect getting involved in too many things for the sake of society.»

Yamasaki died from malignant stomach cancer in 1986, and was therefore spared having to witness the destruction of his masterpiece, the Twin Towers in New York, which were completed in 1973.

In 2009 the legacy firm of the modernist style pioneer went into bankruptcy. The company had not only accumulated large debts and faced massive lawsuits; it was also accused of improper working conditions.

4. IMAGE TEXT The building site of the World Trade Centre in 1969.

5
Four building contractors were summoned to appear before Oslo District Court in 2001.The court case dealt with the accident at the Stovner Shopping Centre in 1997, where 100 square metres of concrete roofing caved in. One of the key issues in the case was which of the four parties was accountable for the collapse of a load-bearing column.

5. IMAGE TEXT The accident at the Stovner Shopping Centre in 1997.

In June 2001 Steen & Strøm Entreprenører was ordered to pay a NOK 1.5 million fine. The court found the company guilty of gross violations that were motivated by the desire to cut costs.

6
Demolition is an activity in which a building that has served its purpose is pulled down. There are many reasons for demolishing a building; for example, it may be old and tumbledown, or has to be cleared from a plot to make way for something else.

Demolition techniques vary; with the right competence, a building can even be demolished by blasting. This is done using high levels of precision.

When a building is demolished, the most important aspect is to plan how to deal with the waste. Reusable materials are dismantled in different ways. A list of all the hazardous waste materials is drawn up prior to demolition, as well as a plan for how it will be dealt with and reused.

6. IMAGE TEXT
The demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe building complex in 1972.

Thanks: Kjersti Andvig