Ådalen - Craft in Continuation

Sammanfattning: The site of the project is located in Ådalen, a stretch along Ångermanälven in northern Sweden. A region that during the 19th century grew and flourished through the wood industry only to stagnate and be phased out in the middle of the 20th century. After that the region has been fraught with closures and population decline. In relation to the industries that have existed in the region, I have chosen the program of the building to be a school of crafts with specialization in wood, glass and metal. The school would bring the local population and students from around the country together and consequently revitalize the area. The project sprung out of an interest in how architecture can establish a connection to a place. Seeing the building as a reflection of the various layers both physical, historical and cultural that together form the landscape it sits in. Ådalen carries a history which physical traces largely have been erased. In the project I explore both the visible remains in the physical environment and those that are gone but remain in the collective memory.