Nøha


| Not Only Human Architecture |



Nøha explores both human and non-human topics, with a central focus on environment-based research. 

Nøha is committed to collaboration and cross-disciplinary partnerships, emphasizing research-driven design and novel perspectives.

Nøha translates future visions into SPACE — physical, digital and ethereal.





More info...












-the black box-

Nøha is a collaborative lab that challenges the design process of space-making   Nøha is a collaborative lab that challenges the design process of space-making  

All Projects

KLEINE EMMIE & THE OTHERS

a new perspective on urban living
Europan 18 Re-Sourcing Competition
 Winner x Lucerne, Switzerland
2025




Why would one move next to a steel factory?

Littauerboden has very specific site conditions with slopes and the river forming natural barriers on its perimeter. Along with the natural barriers (and thanks to them) - the area has developed as an industrial forpost. The industry and its serving rail and roads created further physical barriers for connectivity, both for humans and for the ecosystem. Kleine Emme was cut off from the city.

The space which humans wouldn’t use for settling remained open and served for agriculture - obstructing the natural biotope connections and introducing monocultutal cultivation.

Besides the obvious barriers to development, there are the less evident social barriers - the distinctively industrial area resulted in specialized industry jobs, creating a labor ‘monoculture’. The lack of cultural happenings, events or activities make the site very introverted to the city

From Monoculture Suburb to a Diverse Cultural Hotspot

Against the common perception of industrial zones as lifeless, characterless voids, Littauerboden has a very distinctive and resilient productive identity. Its soil keeps the memory of wilderness, energy, human labor and transformation. We choose not to erase this legacy—but to embrace it.
 





The Crane Park
Little Emmie wakes from the sound of birds. They’ve come early today, sweeping low over fresh reeds. A pair of red-crested pochards ripple the surface, bright heads nodding. On the terraced lawn, the first joggers pass. One stops to stretch, looking out over the water.

Slowly, the automated cranes begin their morning shift behind the park wall.

This used to be a sad place before - steel sheets, dust, chains. Now, grass grows where metal once waited. The old yard lives on—compacted and efficient, tucked behind a green wall.

Little Emmie listens. Not just to birdsong now, but to the subtle rhythm of a place that has learned to move gently. A place once built to store and stack, now re-natured to breathe.

The Farming Yards
Peter from Littau was sceptical at first. He had grown up here, and the changes felt like a risk. But soon, he saw how the new developments brought life back to familiar places.

Now, he starts his day by stopping by the farm market above the old department store. He picks up fresh produce and chats with Lina and Matteo, a retired couple living nearby in the new housing. While their youngsters head to Luzern Center for work, they spend their time at the orchards, selling what they grow at the market.

Sometimes, the three head to the cidery that opened in the old greenhouses. So refreshing to have a cool drink in the morning sun!



The Ruderal Grounds
Edis gets off the bus, same stop every morning. But the place isn’t quite the same. The wide, cracked asphalt now has patches of life. Sand, gravel, and scattered grasses break up what used to be one continuous lot.

He spots a green lizard darting between concrete slabs - cute!

Further in, under the solar canopies, a few workers are already stretching. At lunch, they’ll play padel on the roof behind the canteen—one of the best ways to shake off the shift.

The factory runs—more efficient now, much of it automated. Its character has changed as well: more open, softer, alive.

The Sunset Deck
After class, Emil and Jules bike over. The light’s just starting to shift. This part of town used to be a dead zone—big boxes, parking lots and some quirky shops.

Now, all the scattered parking is stacked into one vertical structure - a mechanical parking with integrated vertical farm - just next to the car dealer.
A new tower tops one of the old stores. It’s a mixed use with offices, rental units, a capsule hotel - it brought lots of buzz, light and safety to the place.

The guys head up to the rooftop. No more parked cars here —just a wide, open deck facing west. They grab snacks, find a spot. The screen lights up. It’s race night. F1 under a pink sky. 





Experimental Living
Jonas and Marc moved in last spring. They were lucky to find this affordable option - it’s not so easy these days!

Their studio sits on the upper level of the station building—broad windows overlooking the cultivated fields and the slope where cows graze freely between patches of wild grass.

They live and work in the art cluster, just above the arrivals hall and the passing road. Below: trains, deliveries, the rhythm of movement. Above: a quieter layer of living, coworking, and production. They like the contrast.

On weekends, they open their studio doors. People drift in from the terraces, some even buy art. With the station nearby their work is getting more and more noticed. Good.

The Park’n’Read
Mira lives on the other side of Reuss. Since recently she’s got a new habit. She takes a walk along Rotherstrasse, where a new path now runs beside the Little Emmie. Between the forest hill and the river, this is one of her favorite walks in town.

In 10 minutes, she reaches the Park’n’Read tower and taps her phone. A few moments later, her book arrives—automatically delivered from one of the library pods hidden in the mechanical parking car stack. Then she crosses the plaza and the new footbridge. Few people are sitting under there - reading or chilling under the bridge roof. She is heading to the old factory.

The top floor is now a coworking space with a balcony and fresh smoothies. She settles in—ready to work.









The Sports District
Clement, a single dad, lives with his son in the new housing built alongside the football field. He’s happy they moved here—while he works in the logistics industry nearby, his son can fully dedicate himself to playing. Choosing a school wasn’t a problem, and the local community is very strong - both him and Eddie found friends quickly.

His son plays professionally and dreams of making it to the national team.

After walking him down to the pitch, Clement rushes to the new station to catch the train—he’s meeting his new girlfriend in the city center.



Even if he needs to hurry, he can’t resist staying just a moment longer in the tube, watching down into the greenhouse lab. Rows of vegetables, the quiet movement of robots and people—it’s almost meditative.

On the way to the station, in the renatured part of the slope, he passes a few grazing sheep and a blackbird picking at the gravel. One time he even thought to have spotted a fox!



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stay Tuned For Updates!



HOME  NEXT

All Rights Reserved ©   noharch@outlook.com