A Second Countryside by Lotta Tiselius

How can a coastal community, a marine research station and a fleeting tourist population merge in an architectural framework within the discussion of the sea as a future place of distinct resources?

This thesis proposes an architecture that mediates between the qualities, as well as challenges, of the three characters inhabiting Skaftö island today: the local, the researcher and the tourist. Skaftö island, positioned at the inlet to Sweden’s biggest fjord has changed throughout the 20th century. From being a strong community living well of local fishery, the island has changed into a holiday destination only prospering a few weeks every summer. The identity of the coastal community is lost, and local life on the island faces the same problems as many other former fishing towns throughout Scandinavia; a shrinking and struggling full-year population, highly dependant on unsustainable tourism.

Taking point of departure in current research into seaweed as a future food recourse, the project proposes a new way of working and living on Skaftö island. The project proposes a meeting between the local population, the marine researchers and the tourists; to merge within an investigation of seaweed as a future food recourse.

Name: Lotta Tiselius
Instagram: @lottatiselius
Project name: A Second Countryside – Future scenario for coastal life in Bohuslän archipelago
University: Aarhus School of Aarchitecture @aarchdk
Tutor: Carolina Dayer