When Caroline Ramfjord, David Madsen Løken and their daughter Andrine had to find a place to live, they would prefer a detached house. – But it was a detached house in the first instance. That was what we had the opportunity to do, says Caroline. The small house is located in Liaparken burettslag in Åsane in Bergen. Here they have 72 square meters with living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. With detached houses at the end, the tiny family gets a bit of privacy, but there are plenty of opportunities for socialising. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Sharing the good things But Liaparken is not like all other buret teams. Here, the residents share guest apartments, function rooms, training rooms, workshops, recycling rooms and hobby rooms. To mention something. – We avoided paying too much for extra rooms, says David. – What we don’t use every day, we could rather have when we needed it, says Caroline. Outside there is a large area with playgrounds, terraces, benches, plants and bushes. They can also reserve kayaks, electric cars, electric bicycles and electric scooters via an app when the need arises. The playground is open to everyone, and is a good place to get to know the neighbours. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news A renaissance for the sharing culture Residents in Liaparken are some of the many who like to live closer to their neighbours. – In Norway, we see an increasing trend when it comes to social housing forms. At least an increasing interest in it. A number of social housing forms are also being built, both in Bergen and in Norway in general. That’s what Tina Larsen says, who is a senior architect at Byarkitekten in Bergen municipality. Living in this way is actually not a new phenomenon. In the post-war period, many flats were built with shared kitchens, laundry rooms and outdoor areas. – The demand for social housing forms is increasing, and we are experiencing great interest among the housing owners, says Schjelderup. Photo: Bergit Sønstebø Svendseid / news In recent decades, Norwegians have become both wealthier and more individualistic. In line with that, flats with large common areas and lots of sharing have become less popular. But now the housing industry is seeing a countertrend. This is according to Harald Schjelderup, who is the managing director of the Bergen housing association BOB. Interest in sharing and socializing is back. Either because we want to, or because we have to. – What was common a few decades ago has had a new renaissance, says Schjelderup. Repairing bicycles and exchanging books Rune Kilen, who sits on the board of the housing association in Liaparken, shows us the place where he gave his electric bicycle a longer life. – I have an electric bike that I have used to and from work for many years. I did all the repairs in here. Have changed all components and the drive. So then I stood here, says Rune Kilen. Rune Kilen takes a good look at neighbor Bjørn Haugland’s new bicycle wheel. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Because here at the workshop, residents can make the trip if something needs repair or tinkering. Now it is Bjørn Haugland who has repaired his bicycle wheel. This makes one happy. Bjørn Haugland with his bicycle. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news – I will put the pump in place, says Bjørn. – If not, I’ll probably slap you, he adds and smiles slyly at Rune. On the wall hang a number of tools in a row. They can all be used at the workshop, or borrowed to take home. As long as you clean up after yourself and return what you borrow. Instead of all residents having their own hammer, screwdriver and saw, they can share the tools in the workshop. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno A few doors away is the recycling room. Rune is actually on his way to the gym, but first he has a little errand here. He has some books he doesn’t need to read several times. Then a good neighbor can enjoy them. In these shelves, everyone can put down, or take, what they want. Here you can find everything from crockery, decorative objects and blenders to curtains and books. Everything is listed in the book. – If no one has collected the object within three months, then someone must come and collect it again, says Rune. It should not become a rubbish room. Rune Kilen checks where there is room for the books he delivers. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news The books are neatly placed on the shelf, ready for the next neighbor who loves to read. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news All items must be logged. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news – Must build more densely and share more With an increasing population and centralization, people must build more densely to avoid destroying too much nature. – It is a far more resource-friendly and environmentally friendly way of living and living. If we are going to live closer together, I also think we must be prepared to share more, says Schjelderup in BOB. Senior architect Larsen believes that social building forms can solve many of the environmental challenges in today’s housing market. – You can get together and have one circular saw, one washing machine, one car, instead of ten, says Tina Larsen. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news – Downscaling private land contributed to the green shift. You can share the area, it is true that no area is empty for large parts of the day. In addition, we minimize the need for our own purchases, says Larsen. Foreign neighbors become good friends Now it’s a quarter past six in the buret team in Åsane. Outside the door with the sign “Hobbyroom” on it, you can hear laughter and cheerful voices. The hobby evening actually started fifteen minutes ago. Here the neighboring ladies have gathered to knit, sew, measure and finally. And not least: preaching. At the hobby evening, unknown neighbors have become good friends. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news – It’s nice to have some company. – Yes, it’s nice to have a little change. – It’s also social! – Yes, it’s nice to get to know the neighbours, they say while the knitting needles go. Tone Skjønberg, Inga Kilen, Reidun Vik Folkedal and Alise Askeland are some of the ladies who think it’s prettier to sit here than at home in the living room. Neighbors Tone Skjønberg and Inga Kilen have become good friends. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Almost none of them knew each other before they moved in. Now they are good friends. And it’s not just at hobby evenings that they meet. – Several of us are also in the tour group. – We have had basket parties. – We have reading, and bridge! – We also have quizzes! Further down the corridor, Rune has made it to the exercise room. It is equipped with manuals, treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical machines and more. The neighbor has already taken the treadmill, so then Rune can take the elliptical machine. But he still smiles. The fitness room is always open for training or a little chat with the neighbour. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Building out of loneliness There is no doubt that there are good opportunities to socialize when you live in Liaparken. Both Schjelderup and Larsen believe that loneliness is one of the reasons for the increased interest in social building forms. – Loneliness is widespread in the population in general. Both with older and younger people, who see that living socially can be an investment in their own health and well-being, says Larsen. She believes that perhaps we have built enough housing that leads people into solitude. – Now it’s time to invest in social building forms and build ourselves out of loneliness, says Larsen. With good architects, who can build so that it is natural for people to sit down and have a chat, she believes it is possible. The houses are designed so that one can easily make contact with the neighbour, but must also have the opportunity for privacy if one wishes. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news High prices push people together In Liaparken, Caroline and David paid the same as they would for a flat of the same size, but here they have received many bonuses in return. – We felt we got the most for our money here, says Caroline. In the small house, the family has the most necessary rooms and can retreat. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Such social housing groups have also appeared in Oslo, Stavanger and other places in recent years. And many new ones are being planned. Architectural psychologist Oddvar Skjæveland believes that price is one of the biggest drivers for people choosing to live on a slightly smaller private area and share more with their neighbours. – 30 years ago it cost 1.5 years’ income to buy 50 square metres. Today, I think it costs 3.7 annual incomes. And then it’s clear that if you can share things a bit, that’s an advantage, says Skjæveland. Good fences make for good neighbours? With customized partition walls between the terraces, the residents of Liaparken can sit in peace and quiet. But if they want to socialize, they just have to take a step forward. Architectural psychologist Skjæveland believes that social building forms work best if the architecture makes it optional to socialize, such as with the fence in Liaparken. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news That good fences make good neighbours, is a well-known expression and a truth for some. In the prospectus for Liaparken, they say that “good neighbors share good things”. – Several apartments are being built in both large and small towns. Then there will be less space for each, and a need for more community services, says Pihl. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Carsten Pihl is head of politics, society and sustainability at Huseierne. He believes that a middle ground is necessary for such social structures to have the right to life. – In order for this to work well over time, there should be clear and unambiguous rules for those who will use the facilities. Without clear rules, he believes friction and irritation will quickly arise. That the social building form is here to stay is widely agreed upon by both the home owners, the housing developer, the architectural psychologist and the city architect. But do people live socially and share good things because they have to or because they want to? – Our experience is that it is a good mix. It is both because you are satisfied with it, and because you want to live like this, says Pihl. A cage team for the sociable When Caroline and David were to move into Liaparken, they were excited about how it would turn out. – There was a bit of back and forth about how social it would be. Is it true that the neighbors are somehow on our terrace? With the end-of-life residence, the small family has so far not had neighbors lurking outside the window. They are well acquainted with their nearest neighbors and are happy to strike up a conversation with those they meet in the corridors. Andrine and her parents thrived in the social buforma. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news So far they are not scared away, but they believe that people should be happy to live like this. – You should be quite sociable, I think. This is not a cage court for those who are withdrawn and shy. You must like to share, says David. – Yes, and you must enjoy taking part in reading circles or quizzes, adds Caroline.
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Norwegians live more socially and share everything from circular saws to cars – news Vestland
