Bergen Bystrand and a new Lungegårdsparken

In 2020, White Arkitekter won the international competition for the planning and design of Bergen’s new city beach and city park at Store Lungegårdsvann with the proposal True Blue. The almost one-kilometre-long park will be the city’s new landmark, where residents can experience the different characteristics of water and nature in all seasons for the next 100 years. A place for people, nature, animals and water to intertwine in a spectacular and sustainable urban environment.

A park that speaks "Bergensk"

The project’s concept and approach can be summarised in three steps:

1. the basic approach of True Blue is to convey a story about the different paths and forms of water at Store Lungegårdsvann. An interpretation of this manifests itself in the park’s four bays – Strandviken, Regnviken, Hansaviken and Stareviken. From the park’s curved bay landscape, the terrain extends up into three forest hills.

2. A robust and terraced landscape structures and shapes the area. Slate walls from Västlandet terrace from the beach zone up the hills of the park, securing the site against flooding, erosion and weather, while creating a clear division of zones, programmes and spaces.

3. the landscape of the park is filled with a variety of content, including areas for activity and play, flexible spaces for rest and events, good and accessible connections for walking and cycling, and nature restoration areas for the robust coastal nature of Västlandet.

Client: Bymiljøetaten, Bergen kommune
Location: Bergen, Norway
Status: Completion expected 2023
Size/Area: 1km waterfront
Images: Aesthetica Studios and White View

The aim is to create an attractive and inclusive urban space for movement, recreation and events of various kinds. A new meeting place for Bergen, where the residents will be challenged to experience the water’s qualities throughout the year.

A park for the next 100 years

A 100-year-old park must meet future needs and engage new generations. The combination of a defined programme and flexible spaces creates an urban beach and a new Lungegård Park that will always be a relevant place, now and in the future. Large grassed areas and plazas can accommodate large and small concerts, events and activities. These areas are connected by a robust network of paths and generous areas of urban nature. Sustainable and resilient solutions using local timber, stone, fill, soil and vegetation have been used to withstand heavy use and the harsh weather conditions of western Norway, including rain, wind, snow, high and low tides.

Urban nature

In order to create a sustainable vegetation structure for the next 100 years, it is essential that green structures develop as naturally as possible. Large parts of Bergen’s new city beach and the new Lungegård Park are dedicated to urban nature and nature restoration. In the coastal zone of the park, solutions are being implemented to promote the regeneration of the bay’s marine ecology. A 350 metre long and 3800 square metre large wetland and saltwater bed connects land and water, creating a new beach habitat for nesting birds, insects, amphibians and marine species. The park extends from the beach into hills of dense mixed forest that will develop through natural succession over the next hundred years. The 7,000 square metre forest area will provide an important habitat and nesting site for squirrels, birds, foxes and deer in the centre of Bergen.

Activity – on land and water

The park route will be a versatile experience where visitors can enjoy nature, culture, play, sport and activity – 365 days a year. The northern part of the park, connected to the centre of Bergen and the tram station, will serve as the new activity centre of Store Lungegårdsvannet. Here you will find the new city beach, which will be built as a long and accessible sandy beach leading to a bathing area with disabled access and stair bathing. Towards the land, there is a long and lively activity area for street sports, open-air gyms, forest games and beach volleyball. In the centre of the park, there are opportunities for free discovery, movement and play in different natural areas, from beach and meadow to dense forest. In the southern part of the park, towards Møllendal, there’s a “swimming rock”, a pebble beach and a lawn for playing and swimming. Identity-forming shelters and service buildings provide shelter from the rain, changing rooms for swimwear and facilities for toilets and showers.

Contact & Team

Pål Dixon Sandberg

Landscape architect

+47 458 36 178

Send mail

Kjetil Torgrimsby

Landscape Architect

Jenny Nordius Stålhamre

Landscape Architect

Mads Juell Engh

Landscape Architect

Gina Bast Mossige

Architect and Project Leader

Daniel Asp

Architect

Hanne Finseth

Architect

Jørund Bjørlykke

Architect

Hossam Elbrrashi

Architect

Clara Fraenkel

Lead Lighting designer

Kajsa Sperling

Lighting designer

Victor Sveding

Lighting Designer

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