This Country Home in Denmark Is Green in More Ways Than One

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Project Details:

Location: North Zealand, Denmark

Architect: Peter Kjaer Arkitekter / @peter_kjaer_arkitekter

Footprint: 1,767 square feet

Builder: MBA Byg

Structural Engineer: Regnestuen

Photographer: James Silverman / @jamessilvermanphotography

From the Architect: "The House Between the Trees is a T-shaped summer house built with a breathable wood construction that minimizes the use of concrete.

"The house was built with consideration for the lot’s trees. It has a bedroom wing that is screened from the road, a family room to the west, and a kitchen at the meeting point between the two wings. From the kitchen and family room there is access to two terraces, which capture the morning, midday, and evening sun. The kitchen forms a staircase to a loft that lets in morning light.

"Foundations and ground cover typically make up 50 percent of the climate footprint over 50 years on one-story wooden houses. Our focus with House Between the Trees was to minimize this. In holiday home areas such as this one, height restrictions make it difficult to build on stilts, so we opted for screwed piles with an edge casting of concrete with a wooden formwork. The extent of concrete is therefore a fraction of a traditional foundation. Decking was created without the use of concrete and acts a floating floor with floor chipboards and Douglas fir boards directly on pressure-resistant insulation.

"Frames, tap bands, and other internal detailing are made of Douglas fir. All interior wooden surfaces are soap-treated. Both the roof and facades are made breathable with vapor retarder and wind barriers made of wood fiber and with blown-in wood fiber insulation. The facade is covered with linseed-oiled spruce and the roof is spruce boards with roofing felt."