Located far beyond the Arctic Circle on the banks of the Norwegian Sea surrounded by the spectacular landscape of the fjords, the town of Alta hosts “Tanca” the proposed project for Europan 14 Norway Edition. More precisely, we are in the district of Bossekop, an area of the city with an economy based on fishing and crafts, but also on the sectors of traditional carpentry and slate processing. The word Tanca means “large container for water or other materials”. Conceiving the town as a container of community synergies, Tanca hosts Bossekop inhabitants favouring the implementation of an alternative lifestyle in which social development is mainly centered on co-operative models based on a highly experimental acquaponic system extended at urban scale. It’s a complex structure where we find working, cultural and residential spaces all arranged to work together in a coherent system where each part profits from the others in a concept of circular economy. The ground floor it hosts all the spaces needed for aquaponics, a resturant and other minor activities. A library and the new Altafjorden museum dedicated to the territory and research topics proposed, span both two floors. Finally, “productive city design” cannot be disconnected from the identity of the site. Analyzing the history to understand the present situation and starting from the available potential in order to give future generations the best opportunities for growth, is the basic idea of this project.
