Situated on the verge of two worlds, Vardø brings resilient in habitation to a frontier of vast and striking natural presence. Compounded by Vardø’s placement on Norway’s edge, current challenges entail the necessity to discuss the town’s identity, both internally and to the region at large. Depopulation is a reality that calls for the replacement of program in order to intensify the urban fabric of Vardø.
As an old fishing industry diminishes, it is replaced by activities based on oil exploration, arts, and education. Between the opposing eastern docks and western shore, this proposal seeks to initiate a discourse between the industrial and natural history of the site and how these may contribute to its Vardø’s regeneration.