Vestfold, Norway

Square House with a Void

 

The house is situated in a pine woodland on Veierland, a car-free island outside Nøtterøy in Vestfold County. Perched on stilts above a rocky ridge, it gently hovers in the woods, leaving no footprint. This impression is further enhanced by a homogenous surface of dark wood, which gives the house an inconspicuous, almost muted character. It bespeaks serenity and inward orientation, a principle reflected further in its very rational layout. Functions are gathered in “batteries,” leaving the rest of the indoor volume clarified and transparent. Made up of longitudinal blocks around a central open area, the house is oriented toward this center, which in itself does not serve any function and therefore constitutes a serene, untouched locus.

 

Typology
Residential, Private

Status
Direct commission (2007)
Completed (2011)

Location
Vestfold, Norway

Illustrations by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter.