Surrounded by rock beds and woods that contribute to an undulating topography, Norway’s House on Pillars —conceived for ceramicist Nikolai Yde Aksnes— slots neatly into the landscape enabled by its raised construction. Determined to do as little damage to the land as possible, the decision was made early to place the home on stilts. Given the simplest, most open brief, to create “a good and sustainable house on a budget”, Sanden+Hodnekvam Architects settled on a long, single-level home that worked around the environment. Choosing to place the home on stilts meant that it could be placed between rocky outcrops, effectively sinking parts of it to offer rockface views from within the home along with a certain level of shelter and privacy.
The open-plan interior space is separated into blocks by sliding doors, with a core area for bedrooms and bathrooms at one end, and a spacious living room taking over much of the rest of the home. Pine wood is used on the floor and walls, with a vaulted ceiling leaving exposed beams to hold the roof’s mix of solid and translucent corrugated roofing panels. The opaque panels act as skylights, filtering natural light into the space to offset the lack of sunshine able to penetrate side windows set close to the rock. Recycled brick flooring covers a winter garden and a home ceramics studio completes the home, a serene, contemporary cabin in the woods.
Photography © Thomas Ekstrom