This cluster of three cabins are set in Herfell, Norway. The cabins have been designed by the Oslo-based firm Reiulf Ramsted Architects. The three units have been integrated with one another, but are also able to operate individually.
The cabins are placed around a small central courtyard that serves as a “go-between”, connecting each of them. A steep hill boarders the site on the north-east side that, according to the architects, creates a “spatial interaction, between the natural and built landscape that also results in a beneficial micro-climate.”
The cabins feature an all-wood exterior, from the wall cladding to the roof finish. The largest of the three contains front façade that’s completed glazed, while the other two units that flank it contain much smaller window units (possibly because they’re more private spaces like bedrooms).
Like the exterior, the interior is finished in wood. Its vertical orientation helps to make the space feel larger by drawing the eyes upwards to the cathedral ceiling. The central cabin serves as the main living area, and holds the kitchen, dining area, and living room. There’s also a large wood-burning stove to keep the place toasty during the Norwegian winter.
The other two units are probably the bedrooms (no floor place was available unfortunately) with their own en-suite bathrooms. There also seems to be a small loft accessed by a ladder, although whether it’s for sleeping or for storage is unclear. All told, the combined floor plan amounts to 753 square feet (70 square meters).
For more small houses check out this inward-looking family home in Vietnam that features a central courtyard that can be open, or closed to the exterior. Or, this small house which hangs over the edge of a cliff in Nova Scotia. See all small houses.
Via DesignBoom
Photos: Lars Petter Pettersen
Never been in Norway, but lived in Sweden and in Finland for a while. It startled me the use in the countryside of building new volumes apart, rather than enlarging the existing. Now I understand that this fragmentation is intentional in order to keep a balanced scale with Nature.
The present , in spite of the odd relation with the rock outcrop in the back seem to follow the same principle. Probably within a couple of years the wood will have weathered to a nice silver grey colour, make it more inconspicuous.
A very interesting work, indeed.