A Tiny Timber Cabin Touches Down on a Private Island in Norway
Seeking to "build smaller, build smarter," Line Solgaard Arkitekter perches a pint-sized getaway on stilts above the rocky shore.
Seeking to "build smaller, build smarter," Line Solgaard Arkitekter perches a pint-sized getaway on stilts above the rocky shore.
The best cabins create a dialogue with the landscape by sensitively responding to the site and integrating the view. On a small, private island in Norway’s Kjerringholmen archipelago, Line Solgaard Arkitekter built a modest summerhouse for a young family that epitomizes this approach. Perched on slender steel stilts above the rocky shoreline, it celebrates the site while blending in with the landscape.
The clients are a young family with two children who bought a tiny island with a dilapidated house on the waterfront. The island, which is only accessible via boat, is part of an archipelago about an hour south of the Norwegian capital of Oslo. "It has become a very popular area for summerhouses over the last century, and it is full of buildings from the postwar period," says architect Line Solgaard.
Photo by Einar Aslaksen
"We wanted to create something that would touch the beautiful landscape and the rocks very lightly," explains architect Line Solgaard. "The rocks were shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago; we wanted to expose their beauty, and for whatever we built to be reversible."
The home perches lightly on the site, and its form, color, and materiality synchs with the surrounding landscape. "We long for this untouched nature," says architect Line Solgaard. "It brings us calmness, and maybe even helps us be more in touch with ourselves."
Photo by Einar Aslaksen
The stilts are made from rust-resistant steel that can withstand saltwater, and they are inserted into small holes drilled into the rock. All other parts of the structure are timber. "It was the environmentally friendly choice," says architect Line Solgaard.
Photo by Einar Aslaksen
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Tiny Timber Cabin Touches Down on a Private Island in Norway
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