Ruten Public plaza. Sandnes. Norway. 2009-2020.

In collaboration with Spacegroup Arkitekter AS, our proposal ‘Lysning’ won the open competition to develop the new Ruten public transport terminal in the center of Sandnes.

Lysning consists of a large open-air roof over the main transport square in the city center. The circular construction frames the new public meeting place containing trees, streams, playgrounds, skate park, fountains and seating.

The roof also functions as an identity-creating landmark, and is visible from the sky to everyone flying over Sandnes. The circle embraces everything that the Ruten city-park has to offer while facilitating Sandnes’ public infrastructure of walking paths, light rail, trains and buses, all revolving around the circle.

The roof design was initially inspired by Japanese minimalist architecture. The intention was to make the roof float with as little support as possible, with as little material use as possible. The structural concept for the circular roof is a continuous steel plate, just 40 mm thick, balanced on thin columns that are anchored in the ground. In this way, horizontal bracing is avoided, and a light expression is achieved. The roof is covered with zinc sheets to withstand the elements. Roof drains and lighting are integrated in the construction.

In 2024, the park at Ruten received the DoGA Prize - a national design prize linked to the government’s action plan for universal design, coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Equality. People who visit the square encounter exciting biodiversity and a varied design that has climate and recycling at its center. Recycled biochar has been used on the site to mitigate future flooding - a threat that is no longer so distant. With measures such as biochar in the soil, varied vegetation, and rain beds that can store stormwater, Ruten is well equipped for the future climate conditions.