Kategori: architecture

The semi detached house from the late 50s, with a combined concrete and wooden construction, has a split level layout that opens the house up visibly between the dining and living areas. The vertical movement in the void between the levels create the necessary distance to achieve an open and airy feel. The existing materials are a mix that at times contradict and blur the spatial clarity of the split-level solution, and thereby interfere with the spatial experience.

The main ambition is to retain as many of the qualities of the original building as possible. The window solutions, door nobs, carpentry interiors are all characteristic for the period, and are kept and restored. The windows are also restored, but given new glass with better energy performance within the existing frames. The only two major renovations of the house are the kitchen and the bathroom – both given a contemporary esthetics and a more functional layout in tune with the clients needs.

The vertical movement is articulated by the floor surfaces and carpentry detailing. The surfaces are redefined – the void is articulated and opened up to include movement to the basement. The floor surface materials indicate the public movement through the house, with clear changes in material to the private zones of the house on both floors.

The movement into and through the house on the ground floor is articulated stronger and brighter, connecting the entrance with a patio at the garden side of the house. The garden is redone with a new garden gate / shed as the backdrop. The asymmetric path to the garden entrance shifts the direction of the garden, dividing it in an apple orchard and lawn for play and games.

The summer house bridges the landscape on a hillside, overlooking the water and the surrounding archipelago at Høysand in Skjeberg, Østfold. The original summer house has gradually been extended with terraces and a new adjacent annex to form a complex composition.

By binding the annex and the main house together with a transparent roof, the bedrooms are tied together with the living areas through a sheltered semi-climatized passage. By enlarging the annex with one more bedroom, and removing the bedroom from the main house, the living areas are enlarged, and a more functional overall layout is achieved.

The small changes bring seasonally independent functionality, while the design keep the original elements of the composition intact. Added elements like canopies and windscreens are given a uniform design in contrast to the closed main building and annex.

An existing summer house, consisting of two equally large parts (nicknamed «the old hut» and «the new hut»), need only slight transformation to enhance its functionality and spatial experience.

Originally the two parts are linked only by an outdoor connection over the terrace, the entrance is cramped, and there are no proper sanitary facilities in the summer house. The connections between inside and outside is limited to small double doors towards the terrace.

As sanitary services have been supplied for this summer housing area, a new bathroom is installed as a warm core of «the new hut». Access between bedrooms and the living areas is through a new internal passage, which enhance seasonal usability. Two new spacious bedrooms also comes as a consequence of the changed layout and added bathroom.

New main entrance to «the old hut» is placed directly from the entrance terrace, and a more generous opening towards the afternoon terrace makes free flowing movement through the summer house and around its core.