The Mongstad Experience

Abstract

The oil industry might be the most obvious system causing the North Sea to be a disputed territory in recent times. One of the main participants in this dispute is Norway: a country extremely wealthy, thanks to oil revenue. In oil’s supply chain, the Mongstad refinery plays a crucial role. Situated in a fjord in western Norway, it’s conveniently located in close proximity of both the North Sea and Norway’s urbanized regions. Reclaimed marshlands have served as Mongstads foundations, from where it directly and indirectly leaves its polluting traces. During its relative short lifespan so far, heavy impact on land and water have been caused. Even though the oil industry is of major importance for the wellbeing of Norway’s inhabitants, they lack in awareness of the processes and consequences involved with this business. Mongstad clearly represents this situation: in geographical sense bordered by either mountains and the sea, on top of this the territory is completely fenced off. Compared to other oil refineries worldwide, Mongstad is an interesting case. While having a capacity of 12 million tonnes of crude oil per year, groundbreaking research is conveyed on-site. In Technology Centre Mongstad and its adjacent test facilities, CO2 is being captured from flue gasses, and prepared for storage elsewhere. Mongstads functional future is extremely uncertain. The oil industry has to change, and Mongstad’s aim of being a ‘sustainable’ pioneer in the field allows for three possible future scenario’s: 1.Business as usual. The refinement and accompanying processes still take place, but as planned, co2 from the refinery will be caught off to be processed elsewhere on the site. 2.Transformation of the refinery. As in the case of Porto Marghera, the refinery will still function as an energy production facility, but in a ‘greener’ way. The current structures will be used, and, if needed, extended. 3.Loss of function, but exploiting potential of the site in geographical and infrastructural sense. The project is adaptable to these scenario’s. It’s an architectural infrastructure, able to grow and shrink according to time, function and place. The infrastructure stretches over a 2 kilometer line, which crosses from mountains to fjord, straight through Mongstad’s borders. While reconnecting nature over exploited land, an axis arises. Heavy labour and core production taking place at one side, while research and room for future development can be found on the other side. This axis is Mongstad’s new spine: opening up the territory, emphasizing on the natural environment, but most of all: supporting a more appropriate productive future. Nine concrete interventions serve as permanent gestures, telling the story of Mongstad through framing, directioning and their highly symbolic appearance.