“In Norway, climate change is intensifying the risks our settlements are facing on land that is already strictly limited by aktsomhetsområder and faresoner for skred. Conventional engineering relies on expensive, invasive barriers that scar the natural landscape. This research proposes a new way: Architecture that doesn't just hide from the mountain, but integrates safety into it.”

Strategic relevance

Western Norway’s "new normal" is defined by intensifying rainfall and accelerating skredfare. As climate projections show these hazards increasing, both new and existing settlements are under permanent pressure. Since 2010, insurance payouts for damage caused by skred have exceeded 3,463 million NOK, representing a high recurring cost to both private owners and the state.

By integrating structural resilience into a building’s tectonics, this framework aims to navigate TEK17 requirements while preserving the Norwegian landscape. It seeks to unlock restricted land and secure communities through design - led solutions rather than massive infrastructure.

¹ Data based on natural damage statistics (2010–2024) from Finans Norge: Natur- og værskader.

For kommuner og NVE

Arealbruk og områdesikring Åpne for utvikling av tomter i rød sone, og implementere strategier for sikring av eksisterende bebyggelse i faresoner.

Regulering og samsvar Et rammeverk som samsvarer med – og utfordrer – sikkerhetskravene i TEK17 for både ny og eksisterende bebyggelse.

For private utbyggere

Verdiskaping og arealutnyttelse Muliggjør utvikling i krevende terreng med arkitektur som sikrer langsiktig trygghet og øker tomtens verdi.

Estetisk resiliens Sikringstiltak som foredler eiendommens kvaliteter og arkitektoniske uttrykk, fremfor å skjule den bak tradisjonelle stålbarrierer.

For entreprenører

Innovasjonsledelse Ta en ledende posisjon i markedet med en ny bygningstypologi og spesialiserte utførelsesmetoder for krevende terreng.

Stedsspesifikke løsninger Gå fra standardiserte ingeniørløsninger til fornuftig, stedsspesifikk design som spiller på lag med terrenget fremfor å motarbeide det.

Geological Risk and Climate Change

In Vestlandet, steep terrain and intensifying precipitation have turned skredhendelser into a persistent risk. While national hazard maps are essential tools, they often place long-established settlements into faresoner where development is strictly restricted. This creates a critical tension between safety regulations, municipal responsibility, and the lived reality of those inhabiting these landscapes.

This research addresses this conflict by asking how architecture can facilitate more resilient ways of living with geological risk. By shifting our perspective, we can begin to view these environmental forces not just as threats, but as parameters that define a new, safer architectural language—one where the building is no longer a passive observer, but an active participant in its own protection.

By shifting our perspective, we can begin to view these environmental forces not just as threats, but as parameters that define a new, safer architectural language.

From Industrial Barriers to Integrated Resilience

Standard industrial engineering typically relies on Starting Zone interventions - such as expansive steel snow nets - which are often economically unfeasible or visually intrusive. This research proposes Direct Protection.

By advocating for Stone as a primary tectonic material, the architecture integrates resilience directly into the building mass. Unlike steel, which can become brittle over time, stone utilizes its own density and impact-induced fragmentation to dissipate energy. By using the mountain’s own material, the architecture ceases to be a temporary addition and becomes a permanent part of the geological landscape.

Architectural protection in mountain landscapes

Mountain regions have a long tradition of protective structures for avalanches, rockfall, and slope instability. In Switzerland, these solutions have been systematically integrated into the fabric of settlements. In Norway, historic stone structures show local, pragmatic responses, but formal architectural frameworks for protection have been rare. As climate-driven instability increases, these alpine precedents provide valuable lessons for adapting the Norwegian landscape.

The Spaltkeil Tradition

This approach is grounded in a 400-year-old alpine heritage: the Spaltkeil (splitting wedge). This V-shaped masonry prow was designed to divide and divert moving masses around churches and farmhouses in the Swiss Alps since the 17th century. By evolving this typology, the research revives a proven historical method of direct protection, adapting it to the contemporary requirements of the Norwegian landscape.

Photo 1: "The avalanche wedge" by Xenos is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Photo 2: "Reformierte Kirche Davos Frauenkirch, 2008" by Adrian Michael is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Landscape: The Case of Stadlandet

The research is grounded in the coastal mountain landscape of Stadlandet, where extreme weather conditions, steep slopes, and flat valley floors make up the landscape. In Hoddevik, the existing infrastructure - houses, roads, and farmland - occupies the narrow space directly beneath the mapped skredbaner.

This landscape is not treated as an isolated site, but as a representative condition found across large parts of Vestlandet. By solving the challenges in Hoddevik, the research establishes a scalable framework for resilient development in fjord and mountain regions nationwide.

Design principles and methodology

The design strategy employs a hybrid tectonic logic: combining heavy, protective stone massing with lighter, inhabitable timber elements. Stone provides the necessary structural mass, stability, and durability to withstand impact, while wood offers flexibility, insulation, and a human scale for living spaces.

This approach is informed by both regional historic masonry and experimental studies into geometry, material stiffness, and buildability. Detailed analyses of impact forces—from falling rock to moving debris—guided the development of the protective shell. By aligning structural form with the trajectory of natural forces, the architecture functions as a logical, integrated defense system rather than a separate barrier.

Architectural framework, safety, and regulation

This research establishes a comprehensive framework for building in landslide and rockfall-prone landscapes, where safety, habitability, and regulation are treated as a unified design challenge. The methodology integrates terrain analysis and rockfall trajectory mapping to determine the optimal positioning and geometry of protective structures.

The architecture is defined by a clear hierarchy: heavy, protective stone massing forms the primary line of defense, while lighter inhabitable timber elements provide domestic comfort and spatial flexibility. By operating directly within mapped hazard zones, the framework addresses safety not as a detached technical requirement, but as a spatial and lived condition - one defined by mass, protective enclosure, and tectonic clarity.

While modern engineering often prioritizes "starting-zone" interventions—such as expansive steel snow nets or rockfall fences—this framework advocates for Direct Protection. By integrating the safety barrier into the building's own tectonics, we avoid the visual and environmental "scarring" of the landscape caused by industrial barriers. This approach treats safety not as an external addition, but as the very foundation of the building’s architectural character and permanence.

Transferability

While site-specific, the research proposes architectural principles that can be adapted to other landslide, rockfall, and avalanche-prone regions in Norway and similar landscapes, allowing municipalities and designers to respond to local conditions.

Collaboration & Next Phase

This research establishes a transferable architectural framework for inhabiting skred-prone terrain. To move this system from the drawing board to a physical prototype, I am seeking cross-disciplinary partnerships in engineering, geology, and local government.

Key areas for further development:

Structural Testing: Moving from theoretical massing to physical impact-load testing.
Regulatory Innovation: Exploring TEK17 Pilot Studies to establish new planning standards for resilient settlements.
Prototype Development: Transitioning the methodology into a "real-world" pilot project in Vestlandet.
I am currently seeking partners in engineering, geology, and local government to move this framework from research to a pilot project. If you are interested in developing a prototype or exploring new planning standards for Vestlandet, let’s talk.

david@atelierfercak.no