The project is part of the National Tourist Routes in Norway and is located at the northern end of the brackish lake of Sundshopen in Sømna municipality on the Helgeland coast. The small bay has once again become a gathering place for the local community with a public picnic area, bathing spot and rest stop for residents and visitors alike. The shallow, sun-warmed water of the bay makes swimming here inviting and comfortable, in contrast to the colder sea just beyond.
In re-establishing this long-used bathing place, the project restores both a social and cultural function to the site by regenerating a piece of local history within the larger agricultural landscape of fields and meadows. This particular field, or teig, has always stood out for its small patch of woodland and access to the water, and the renewed use of the site builds on those existing natural and cultural features.
At the heart of the area stands a new, but traditional, jetty of stone and timber that extends from land across the shallows to deeper water. Such gently sloping jetties have long been characteristic of the Norwegian coast, built to allow access to boats at all tide levels. Beyond their practical use, they also provide a degree of shelter from wind and waves that floating piers cannot. Here, the jetty anchors the site both visually and functionally by framing the beach, marking the shifting water levels of the lake through the seasons, and recalling the region’s maritime heritage.
The small forest that borders the open farmland remains a defining feature of the site. A path now leads through its dense interior to the beach, enhancing the experience of transition from enclosed woodland to open water. The modest service building in aluminum marks the entrance and offers a contemporary counterpoint to the traditional materials of the jetty. Together they create a simple spatial sequence from parking at the northern edge, through the shaded forest path, to the open landscape by the lake, where the tip of the jetty appears as a distant focal point drawing visitors toward the water.
Data
Principal architect: Rever & Drage Arkitekter
Collaborators landscape: Grindaker
Photo credits: Tom Auger and David Dundas Brandt
