Studio Sanden + Hodnekvam Arkitekter in Oslo has completed a brick house in Lillehammer, Norway. It features a small “tower” with a vast view of the roof of the adjacent building.
Named the Brick House with a tower, this dwelling was designed by Sanden + HodnekvamArkitekter for its location on a steep south-facing hill on the outskirts of the town.
The brick cladding of the house refers to the tradition of masonry around Lake Mjosa and the importance of Lillehammer’s important buildings, including the train station and church.
Sanden + Hodnekvam Arkitekter chose to take advantage of the durability and timeless features of the material by using it to cover the entire 220 sqm house.
Behind the bricks is a load-bearing wood structure that can be seen through the carefully placed openings in the façade.
“Our interest was to find a way to build a brick house in a rational economy and was honest in terms of structural quality and visible structure,” the studio explained.
The bricks that cover the height of the house are coal-fired and were procured from Denmark. Red, brown, ocher tones add variety to the otherwise homogeneous volume.
“The iterative and simple façade follows the underlying wooden grid with simple details and contemporary aesthetics,” Sanden + HodnekvamArkitekter added.
The brick house with a tower is arranged so that you can see the roof of the adjacent property unobstructed while maintaining the line of sight from the path running parallel to the rear elevation.
The small building is embedded in a slope, with a room for the owner’s children and a small rental apartment on the sunken ground floor.
At the highest end of the house, which the studio describes as a “tower,” is a compact reading room overlooking the double-height living space. Windows on both levels offer views of the city to the north and lakes to the west.
“Part of the tower is open downstairs, establishing visual contact between different levels and providing the kitchen area with air and a large ceiling height,” the studio explained. ..
The open-plan kitchen and dining areas are lined with sliding glass doors leading to the terrace. Corridors lead from these common areas to more bedrooms at the southern end of the house.
The interior is mainly lined with wood to create a warm and cozy atmosphere. Sunlight from various windows and skylights illuminates the surface with a natural texture.
The wooden floor is complemented by walls and ceilings covered with ash plywood, and the exposed pine beams add a sense of rhythm to the space.
Doors and window frames are all made of ash. Some external details, such as blinking around the edge of the roof, are made of copper, which darkens over time and gains patina.
Founded in 2014 by John Sanden and Ingvild Hodnekvam, Sanden + Hodnekvam Arkitekter is working on projects throughout Norway.
Some of the studio’s previously completed buildings include a minimal cabin made of concrete and wood, and a house made of pre-manufactured reddish concrete panels.
The photo is by Sanden + HodnekvamArkitekter.
