House in between trees
Årvoll, Norway
2023
Carefully placed between a pine and a maple in the northern part of the plot, this house opens towards the southern sunlight garden with a fully glazed façade.
The concrete ground floor follows the slightly ascending landscape with three platforms that step up. The lowest positioned common rooms benefit from the southern sun and garden view, while the middle is used for circulation and utility dark rooms.
The top level offers more intimate common rooms, with the ceiling height gradually decreasing from the tallest living room to the lowest workroom and guest room.
The second floor is composed of three functional units. The middle common space opens up to the south and north and is surrounded by children’s bedrooms to the west and parents’ bedrooms and bathrooms to the east. Glazed strips on the east and west maximize morning and evening sun, visually connecting the interior with adjacent trees.
The primary structure is made of glulam beams and columns with stabilizing CLT panels. The buildings envelop built with CLT. Variation in the cladding emphasizes the programmatic division between first and second floor. Cantilevered Pergola to the south, permits winter sun penetration while filtering summer sun to avoid overheating. Solar panels towards the south supplies the house with energy.