The client specified that the garden be the direct focus of the project, due to its significant part in their decision to retreat from city life. Our proposal  creates a vertical addition to the garden, where indoor and outdoor spaces gradually blend and interact.

The house is situated near lake Mälaren to the west of the city of Stockholm.

The triangular foot print is the result of a steep slope that diagonally crosses the site.
It was important to avoid creating a shady northern side to the house that would make gardening problematic, therefore  the Garden House faces only east, west and south, investing in the southern side with a long, open façade.

 
A double height winter garden also functions as a natural pre-heater for circulating fresh air.

A light-weight building in glass and wood, a summerhouse in the Stockholm archipelago.

The layout of the plan is generated by the specifics of the site.  The house is placed on the flat surface between two mountain rocks, and turns simultaneously towards the sun in the South and frontally towards the sea in the West.

Movement, ambiguous spaces and light. With the small rooms located in the back, the rest of the house stands out as an open platform criss-crossed by panes of sliding glass. The zig-zag layout also offers several outside spaces sheltered from strong winds.

An outline towards the horizon. The horizontal character of the black stained exterior relates to the verticals of tall grown pines.

A continuous dissolution of space in three steps.  The house is organised in layers, the big rooms expand with an open relationship to the wooden deck. A horizontal wooden trellis diffuses daylight and enhances the character of one continuous space, where the distinction of interior/exterior becomes subordinated.

For the interior, the starting point has been the direct relationship to the dramatic archipelago landscape, with the objective to offer within a simple frame – a platform – several diverse readings of the relation between space and nature.

A multiplicity of readings. As a result of the large glass panes and the prevailing conditions of light, reflections and mirror-like effects,  a quality is created where nature, space and horizon all interact together.

A housing unit for Arkitekthus: www.arkitekthus.se

View from the East.

Interior view.

Under Construction.

The site is located on the south western coast of Sweden in an old agricultural area gently sloping down towards the Kattegatt Sea (part of the Atlantic Ocean). In the midst of this vast and open cultivated landscape the plot lies in contrast to its surroundings as it is planted with many different trees and flowering bushes, lending it the character of a small botanic garden.

The big trees stand close together and the sun is filtered through a roof like foliage that covers most of the parcel. Adding to the idyllic setting, there is also a little brook meandering through the garden. As the trees and plants also function as a shield from the strong winds, we decided that the house had to be carefully inserted between the tree trunks.

Facade studies.

Entrance/Garden level.

Upper floor.

Curved glass walls with a movable wooden facade.

Model study.

A house on a rocky shoreline, arranged as a series of interior spaces and courtyards within a structure of glass and exposed concrete.

In direct connection to an existing island settlement outside of Gothenburg, new housing is being planned within the typical west coast landscape of smooth rocks and low vegetation. TVH is developing the overall plan as well as two housing typologies; a pentagon hill house and a low and narrow valley house.

Each house contains approximately 150sqm. This is either equal to one single family house, or is subdivided into two or three smaller units with direct individual access onto the street.

The scheme follows the landscape with low buildings in the naturally wind protected places between the rising boulders.

Housing typology for Arkitekthus:  A three storey wooden house with roof terrace.
AH042 is the third in a series of house typologies de signed for Arkitekthus. www.arkitekthus.se