The Idea of a Tree

/ Well aware that in architecture the choice of how to look at nature is one of the themes around which a project can be constructed, Atelier Oslo has designed a house for two artists on a Norwegian island. A refuge conceived as an ample artificial tree from which to observe the landscape

THE ISLAND OF SKÅTØY – THE LARGEST IN THE KRAGERØ ARCHIPELAGO, ON THE SOUTHERN COAST OF NORWAY – has a very distinctive topography: a rocky ground composed of strata of stone that are undulating in shape, but smooth in consistency, sloping gently down to the sea. And a green thicket defined by the woods that grow amongst the planes of rock. It is in this setting that Atelier Oslo – a Norwegian practice currently made up of ten partners with different roles – has recently built a house for two artists who wanted a “domestic” retreat where they could work and be able to relax in close contact with nature.

The project took the topographic peculiarities of the location as its starting point and made their interpretation the driving force of the entire composition. The idea at the base of the design seems in fact to lie in the possibility of creating a domestic space that will be an integral part of its natural surroundings, whose qualities it sets out to emphasize. This is not a new

THE HOUSE IS A SORT OF TRAPEZIUM, WHOSE SIDES INSINUATE THEMSELVES BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT NATURAL PLANES

THE GLAZED VOLUME IS COVERED WITH A TRELLIS WOOD “SKIN”

approach. Oscar Niemeyer – to take just one example – had constructed his own house in Rio de Janeiro (Casa das Canoas) around a large rock, making it part of the building. Atelier Oslo has worked in a similar way, choosing to follow the curved lines of the island’s rocks. The result has been the construction of a series of planes of reinforced concrete (a material that is the same colour as the local stone) set at slightly different levels and linked together by short flights of steps. The idea of eliminating any distinction between nature and artifice also underpins the geometry of the house, which loses its linearity and assumes instead the broken shape of a sort of trapezium, whose sides insinuate themselves between the different natural planes. Despite the irregular shape of the plan, the space inside appears to be a sort of open plan in which the various public areas of the house take their measurements from and are distinguished precisely by the small differences in level imposed by nature.

Access to the house is provided by a straight flight of stairs

THE ROOF IS ALSO A WIDE PANORAMIC SUNDECK

that, starting from the top of one of the mounds of stone, runs all the way to the area of the entrance, located at the front of the volume. Due to its position the staircase also becomes an element of separation between what might be called the public part of the house – composed of a large living room with an open kitchen – and the more private part, used for sleeping. The separation between inside and outside is another characteristic element of the design. In this case an articulated glazed structure permits an interpenetration of natural and constructed space. Well aware that in architecture the choice of how to look at nature is one of the themes around which a project can be constructed, Atelier Oslo has “wrapped” the volume in a sort of lattice of wood laid on top of the transparent structure of panes of glass, evoking the idea of a large tree under whose foliage the owners can sit and gaze at the panorama that opens up towards the sea, and enjoy the reflected light of the north that, penetrating through the wooden brise-soleil, creates a pattern of shadows similar to the one you experience when walking in a sunlit forest. ○

La zona giorno è un grande open space. Living e zona pranzo sono sui due diversi livelli imposti dal suolo. The big open-plan living area is split level because of the lie of the land, and this creates a clear distinction between the sitting and dining areas.

A sinistra, la cucina a vista con il tavolo da pranzo. Sotto, la piccola camera da letto ricavata dietro al camino. Pagina accanto, la scala di accesso alla casa. Left, the open kitchen with dining table. Below, the small bedroom area obtained behind the chimney. Opposite page, the stairs leading to the house.

Project House on an Island Architects Atelier Oslo Architects Consultants Bohlinger Grohman Ingenieure Norconsult Client Private individual Contractor Admar Year of completion 2018 Site area 700 sqm Built area 70 sqm Location Skåtøy Island Pagina accanto, la scala che all’interno separa il living dalla zona notte. In the interiors the staircase becomes an element of separation between the living and the bedrooms (opposite page).