Lund Hagem Architects, based in Oslo, Norway replaced an existing building with two blocks by a decked walkway that widens out to serve as a terrace.
The area located off the coast of Helgeroa village in Southern Norway, consists of several small islands with exposed rock surfaces that are mostly accessible by boat.
The result is a charming holiday home on stilts perched over an uneven rocky site for a family of four; an interior architects, an artist and their two children. The 807 square-foot (75 square meters) Cabin Lille Aroya has become an extension of the majestic landscape.
The cabins location just five meters from the water, offers amazing unobstructed sea views, but also strong winds. The wing containing the bedrooms, has been placed behind the front end of the building, helping to shelter it from offshore wind. It features pine with a natural finish. The interior seems to be finished in light wood and bare concrete. A slatted triangular frame to the front provides both anchorage against the wind and solar shading.
“The new volumes sit naturally with the existing landscape and allow for free circulation and use of surround areas,” said the architects. Cabin Lille Arøya is one of three island cabins recently designed by the architects.
The architects add, “The topography of the site did not naturally lend itself to building and the existing house, which occupied the ridge of the island it stood on – the highest point and the only naturally horizontal surface there. The building seeks to enhance the qualities of the site and make use of areas that originally had no value.”
Pine cladding, glass and steel dominate the building. Laminated wooden beams and steel elements are visible in both the interior and exterior, while the black-painted segments of the roof and exterior walls reduce the building’s visual impact.
The wing containing the main living spaces has a small kitchen to the back, a dining area and a living room to the front. Only the master bedroom is directly accessible from the living area; the other three bedrooms and bathroom appear to be completely separate and are accessed by the terrace.
“The materiality of the interior in this case is treated as the exterior, to minimise the threshold between inside and outside, and further enhance the idea of the summer cabin as a place where you live in harmony with the surrounding landscape,” said the architects.
The two parts of the house are fixed in place by thin galvanized steel stilts that help to create a level footing among the craggy boulders.
Remake of a Norwegian Summer Cabin, source: Lund Hagem Architects. Edited by Tor Kjolberg.
Photography is by Alexander Westberg and Lund Hagem.
I like it !!! Congratulations !
As the former owner was my father, and we were vwry sorry when he sold it, I have personel interest in this cabin . I am happy to se that it has bulid bigger and still keep it Close to nature, not ruining it . I hope the new owners ( whom I met some years ago) appreciate all the little islands and “Canals” like we used to do. Janka Resch Tessem
Hi Janka,
What a coinsidence!
Now and then we publish articles being read by special people like you. Thank you for your comment.
Regards Tor
Do you have any Pictures taken from east, ? And from west,- to see the terrace ?
Janka Resch Tessem
The best way is to contact the architects Lund Hagem Architects. The link is in our article.
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