SUMMARY

A project about reading nature as room, and add elements to make people stop up, enjoy, and take a brake from everydays directed focus. The situation created is based upon a site in the hills, with a overview over Maridalsvannet. And also the fact that the spontanious focus the nature brings, reduce stress and increase wellbeing.

SHELTER FROM LIFE

This project is about creating a room that disconnects you from modern life, and letting the visual impulses through. For me, this place has always been nature, and on the creating this “room for a break” I have got more knowledge about why. It is about letting go, and just let things in. Therefore I named my bachelor thesis “Shelter from life- through light, room and availability”.

NATURE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Natures role as a means of recreation, has returned to the spotlight, also in western culture. The everyday experience people got, with a feel og wellbeing in nature, has been backed up by science.Just being close to the nature is decreasing stress and can contribute to work out crises and be mentally upbuilding.Then it´s hardly a surprise, that the most popular leisure activities are wildlife, gardening, contact with animals,fishing,bathing,socializing,boatlife and music.

The conclusion is, naturebased leisureactivies has the most positive effects on psychic health.

In a raport from nordic collobaration of mental health, it is clear that we in the north have few examples on systematic focus on “green therapy”, this is a collective term on activities where you passively or actively interacts with nature. In USA and Canada they have a rich tradition in this area. Many of the people with psychic disorders has by different reasons negative feelings towards excersise and atletics, but the attitude against nature activities, is far more positive. This is explained by the fact that is´s a joyfull activity that most people master.

TWO TYPES OF ATTENTION

The scientist Rachel Kaplan has created a theory about two types of attention, involuntary attention and direct attention.Todays chaotic society demands a lot of directed attention, that can lead to fatigue, because of less occasions to recover.

Direct attention is sorting, processing and rejecting disturbing elements as for example. Noise. Here is our capasity very limited, and we soon get tired. The involuntary attention is the complete opposite and demands no effort or energy. When we are out in nature, we are using this. This thesis led me to the concept “Nature and culture”

 THE FORESTS OF KJELSÅS

Nearby Maridalsvannet, the city´s drinking water, I found the site for my project. Because Bathing is prohibited, it is small activity in the area, and therefore suitable for a “breakroom”. The site could be a natural continuesation of a trip upwards the Akersriver, or you could take bus or tram, and it is only 20 minutes from the city centre.

The place has sun throughout the day from west, and a smaller rock wall shelters you from east. The site consist of big rocks that appears like playful elements, this gives the perfect foundation to build onto. It can also be read as levels, but offcourse less defined than you see in manmade architecture.

DESIGN AND NEEDS

When it comes to design, several things play in. A breakroom have to cover the primary needs. There I imagined a fireplace as the core of the situation. Both in the form of options for cooking and as heat source, this will be crucial for a year-round use. The situation will be divided into different zones, and be facilitated for longer breaks, the deeper you moves into the “breakroom”. The design should also invite you to a sleepover, and the materials and constructions should be readible and not alienate.

The design turned out organic, because I did not want to break with site´s excisting harmony. To the left, you can see the three sitting elements and the fireplace. The height variations in the room contributes to define each situation. Added elements will also make for a frequent use, of the site´s natural elements.

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