The history of Pentagon - Part 2: The Future
The history of Pentagon - Part 2: The Future
Climate crisis, pandemic, and war. Even in a constantly changing world, they stand here faithfully, always ready to house an infinite number of students. I am, of course, talking about the apartment buildings of our dear student town, the Pentagon.
But the dormitories from the 60s show signs of wear and tear and do not fulfill the requirements for student housing in 2022 anymore. Something is finally going to be done about this! Tender drawings are ready for the new and improved Pentagon 1! But what does this entail? This is the second part of the history of Pentagon.
Journalist: Ingvild Lauvstad Sunde
The first step is taken
In the first part of the history of Pentagon in TT09, it was claimed that the tender drawings were ready. In a written comment, the acting administrative director of SiÅs, Pål Magnus Løken, denies this. In an interview with Selma Sollihagen, the student representative, and the chairman of the board of SiÅs, she elaborates, “It is the outside area and the placement of the buildings that is the focus right now. With densification, the outside area becomes more important.” The illustrations shall therefore show the possibilities for the densification of the area. It is important to point out that this is not a final proposition for the densification of Pentagon 1. SiÅs has now decided to go forward with a regulatory case about Pentagon 1. “It could last up until 2024,” explains Selma.
Coffee bar and market square?
Pentagon is densified through the expansion of the blocks in volume. The green area will be reduced and must be utilized well. The illustrations do not show the architectural design of the buildings, but the architect proposes to create a market square at Pentagon 1, and also a coffee bar!
The total project will consist of 981 housing units with 981 bicycle parking spots together with 150 new parking spots. Blocks with names that begin with “D”, “E”, and “F” will also finally be built!
How will the students be heard?
To answer this, Tuntreet contacted the Student Board (AU) member Helene Sylvarnes. She explains that AU has sent a summary of input from the students to SiÅs, who have forwarded them to the architect. At the Student Parliament 6, SiÅs also called for a student representative in the planning committee to be appointed for the project. Selma adds that the architect has been to the Student Parliament’s autumn conference themselves.
Helene further adds that the outside area is important for AU. “The students like that the outside area is very flexible,” she explains. Selma points out for her part that, “There are many considerations to take into account. SiÅs finds it important for the outside area to be universally designed”. She goes on to say that all students are different in age, gender, and living situation and that the new student housing must work for many. “We have actually gotten an impression that the students do not want a coffee bar, but instead a social meeting point.”
“The future students will live in the new student housings, but all the input must come from the current students,” underlines Selma at the end. If you have any input, just contact AU!
“Thorvald reveals a sincere gratitude for his Pentagon”
There is no doubt that an era is coming to an end when the first step towards the “new” Pentagon 1 is now taken with the illustrations over densification. The student idyll of the 60s shall turn into the student idyll of 2022. There is no way to escape the fact that students require other functions from housing now than they did 60 years ago. Therefore, the students’ voices must be heard! Now that the regulatory case is starting, students in 2022 must pave the way for good student housing in the future, even if we won’t live in these ourselves.
I believe that the quote from the article about the laying of the foundational stone in Pentagon can be a guideline for the future, “Thorvald reveals a sincere gratitude for his Pentagon”.
