2025
A few years back, we were contacted by a couple who wanted to build a cabin for themselves and their two children in a forested area in southeastern Norway. His family had owned land in the area for several generations and made a living from logging and forestry. The site was an untouched piece of forest with a number of pine trees, lush shrubbery and moss-covered rock.
We wanted the cabin to manifest the family's close relationship with the forest and we wanted to preserve as much of the existing natural qualities as possible. Also, the cabin needed shielding from views from a longitudinal road to the east. The solution became an enveloping structure that created a sheltered atrium in the area where the extent of pine trees was greatest. The atrium opens to the south and lets the forest in - making the trees the centerpiece of the cabin.
The cabin's exterior was given a dark color to soften the contrast against the deep green forest, while warmer tones in the atrium play off the pine bark on the trees, the woodwork inside the cabin, and the artificial light streaming out from within.
The cabin was built on column footing to minimize impact on the root systems of the trees and so that it can be removed without leaving a noticeable trace. The atrium trees are surrounded by overlapping terraces that capture the small height differences within the space and have openings between their floorboards sized to let water down to the roots.
The interior of the cabin is organized linearly, with the main living areas located in a light filled space that has views towards both the atrium and a more distant landscape to the west. This space ends in an arched kitchen to the northwest, from where a compact and space-efficient bedroom wing stretching out towards the east.
Consistent use of wood both externally and internally ensures connection to the forest. Facades facing the outwards have standing slats/panels that play on the verticality of the trees, while the atrium walls are designed as varied and open - forming a warm backdrop for outdoor life and activities. The dark color theme from outside is continued within cabin, where fixed furnishings, lighting fixtures and fabrics contrast lighter surfaces of paneling and wood.
- D2_Hytta som skal invitere til å bruke uterommet