The first products from new Danish design brand Herman Cph include a series of side tables with oak tops and slender steel legs (+ slideshow).
Danish designers Jonas Herman Pedersen and Helle Herman Mortensen founded Herman Cph so they could design and produce their own products, retaining complete control over the entire development process.
“We have a vision to create furniture [designs] that are simple, honest and quality conscious and follow them all the way from the drawing board to the finished product,” explained the designers.
“We are convinced that people feel most comfortable if they are among good and honest intentions, and this philosophy forms the basis for Herman Cph,” the designers added. “Great materials are moulded over time, which means that they only grow more beautiful and unique as the years progress.”
The Frisbee tables by Herman Cph combine powder-coated steel legs with oiled or black stained round oak surfaces.
Available in three different heights, the configuration of the table legs is intended to leave maximum room for manoeuvre below the surface.
The tables are delivered flat-packed and can be assembled by the customer using a single screw to join the metal legs.
A dining table from the same collection seats three to six people and is supported by steel legs with a square section and wooden feet that slot into the ends.
The brand is also launching a range of fabric products including limited-edition cushions and bedspreads made from recycled wool fabrics, and a wall-mounted storage pocket with leather detailing.
The duo design the pieces at their studio in Fredriksberg and contract the manufacture out to Danish companies.
Referred to as “the indoor shoe,” Glerups’ line of super-soft slippers provides delightful comfort within a snug structure. Its 100% natural wool composition whisks moisture away while sustaining, maintaining…
A facade of translucent plastic pillows can be pumped up to alter lighting and temperature inside this domed tropical greenhouse in Aarhus by Danish firm C. F. Møller (+ slideshow).
C. F. Møller worked with membrane facade specialist formTL to create the ETFE plastic facade of the new Tropical House, located at the Aarhus botanical gardens. This provides an energy-efficient envelope with a quilted texture around the 18-metre-high structure.
The light and heat conditions within the building can be adapted by increasing or decreasing the air pressure inside the pillows, which then changes the translucence of the facade.
A grid of ten steel arches gives the greenhouse its curved shape, designed to create a large interior space using the lowest possible surface area.
“The domed shape and the building’s orientation in relation to the points of the compass have been chosen because this precise format gives the smallest surface area coupled with the largest volume, as well as the best possible sunlight incidence in winter, and the least possible in summer,” said the architects.
An assortment of tropical plants, trees and flowers fills the interior of the greenhouse. A pond is located at the centre of the space, while an elevated platform allows visitors to climb up above the treetops.
The building was constructed to replace an existing hothouse built by the same architects in 1969. This structure was renovated as part of the project and will now be used to house a botanical knowledge centre.
Heated conservatory at the Botanical Gardens, Aarhus
Transparent roofing made of ETFE foil cushions with an interior pneumatic shading system planned by formTL and C. F. Møller Architekten.
The new tropical conservatory at the Botanical Gardens in Aarhus is like a drop of dew in its green surroundings. Its transparent dome set on an oval base extends the existing greenhouse built in 1969. A special feature of this structure is that is allows for the greatest interior volume with the lowest possible surface area, leading to high energy efficiency.
The support structure consists of 10 steel arches, which fan out around a longitudinal and a transverse axis, creating a net of rectangles of varying sizes. formTL planned and designed a cover for these arches made mainly of double-layered ETFE cushions, which are affixed with biaxially bent profiles due to their complex structure.
On the south-facing side, the cushions used were made with three layers, two of which were printed. Through changes in pressure, the relative positions of these printed foils can be adjusted. This can reduce or increase, as desired, the translucence of the cushions, changing the light and heat input of the building.
Structural diagram – roof plan
Dimensions
Cushion surface area: 1,800 m² Base area: 1,145 m2
• Rise of arches up to 17.5 m • Span of arches up to 41 m
Structural diagram – elevation one
Materials
• Nowofol ETFE foil, strengths of 150 µm and 250 µm • Biaxially bent cushion edge profiles made of aluminium
News: Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen has won a competition to design a theatre and cultural centre in Hjørring, Denmark, with plans for a series of buildings clad in Corten steel (+ slideshow).
The development will be made up of several rectilinear blocks, with walls of Corten steel and glass intended to fit in with the brick and plaster facades that typify the town’s architecture.
“We have designed a project where the architectural and functional concept has five main themes: integration in the city, openness, functionality, flexibility and materiality,” said architect John Foldbjerg Lassen, who is one of the founding partners of Schmidt Hammer Lassen.
“We have designed a significant building which relates to its function in a pragmatic way,” he added. “It invites both active use and quiet breaks. It is a building that radiates its cultural meaning – it dares to be different, without stealing the focus from the existing qualities in the city.”
The architects propose an open-plan layout that will allow corridors to be repurposed as backstage facilities.
“The open plan ensures a high level of flexibility in the building, and only your imagination sets the limit for where and how the theatre productions can take place,” said architect Rasmus Kierkegaard.
“Actors and staff are visible to the visitors in the building, and the building will appear vibrant even with only a few persons present,” he added.
Here’s some more information from Schmidt Hammer Lassen:
Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects wins competition for Vendsyssel Theatre and Experience Centre
As part of a team, schmidt hammer lassen architects has won the competition to design Vendsyssel Theatre and Experience Centre in Hjørring, Denmark. With this 4,200 square metre building, Hjørring gains a vibrant cultural hub in which to feature the city’s various cultural activities. The winning design was submitted by a team including schmidt hammer lassen architects, Arkitektfirmaet Finn Østergaard, Brix & Kamp, ALECTIA, Gade & Mortensen Akustik, AIX Arkitekter, Filippa Berglund scenography, and LIW Planning.
The architectural ambition for the new Theatre and Experience Centre has been to create a building which blends into the surrounding environment while standing out as a new, vibrant organism in the city.
The Theatre and Experience Centre consists of a complex of buildings – a city within the city. Its characteristic corten steel façade, with its warm rusty red colours, corresponds well with the area’s existing plaster and brick façades; thereby creating an aesthetic whole between the city, the front plaza and the theatre building. A vibrant building with a glimpse of the backstage.
Inside, an open plan solution ensures visual and physical connections across the building. The boundaries between publicly accessible areas and the more traditional theatre functions are blurred. In the building layout special attention has been paid to making sure that all functions can operate optimally. At the same time many areas can be joined and the circulation areas can be used as backstage facilities.
Completion of Vendsyssel Theatre and Experience Centre is expected in 2016.
Architects: schmidt hammer lassen architects and Arkitektfirmaet Finn Østergaard A/S Client: Municipality of Hjørring, Realdania Area: 4,200m² Construction cost: €16.5 million excl. VAT Competition: 2013, 1st prize in restricted competition Full-service consultant: schmidt hammer lassen architects Engineer: Brix & Kamp A/S and ALECTIA A/S Landscape architect: LIW Planning Aps Other consultants: Gade & Mortensen Akustik A/S, AIX Arkitekter AB, Filippa Berglund, scenograf, arkitekt maa
Sinuous balconies surround a multipurpose space at the centre of this language school in the town of Ikast, Denmark, by Scandinavian firm C.F. Møller.
Photograph by Julian Weyer
C.F. Møller said the two-storey addition to the school’s existing complex was designed “like a small town with individual volumes located around a square and winding streets.”
The communal area can be used for various activities including performances, lectures and dining, and acts as a social hub for the pupils and staff.
Meandering corridors on both levels lead to classrooms, reading areas and staff rooms, while a staircase ascending to the upper level has wide treads that can be used for seating.
Photograph by Julian Weyer
Windows scattered across the facade at different heights provide views of the surrounding landscape for children of different ages.
Full-height glazing and skylights running around the perimeter of the atrium fill the space with daylight and a palette of brick and pale wood gives the interior a natural warmth.
The new facility joins the existing buildings in a landscaped complex with wooded areas, playgrounds and a smaller kindergarten.
Photography is by Martin Schubert unless otherwise indicated.
Photograph by Julian Weyer
The architects sent us this project description:
International School Ikast-Brande
The international school in Ikast-Brande (ISIB) has inaugurated a new 2,600 m2 building, which includes a school, after-school and kindergarten. C.F. Møller has designed the complex like a small town with individual volumes located around a square and winding streets.
The international school, which only teaches in English, is so popular that it has now been expanded with new facilities. 130 students are ready for the new school year at the International School, which with the new building can accommodate up to 200 students.
Inside the two-storey building of light brickwork, there are omnipresent views to the green landscape and a pleasant natural light influx, creating a bright and friendly environment for the children and staff.
The window openings are placed in a pixelated and lively pattern that allows natural light deep into the rooms – and opens the views for big and small alike.
Centrally located in the school complex is a long superstructure with a curved form. The superstructure contains ventilation systems and skylights, and is clad in translucent facade panels and double-glazed windows, respectively.
The curved form is continued in the sinuous balconies framing the central “square”, which acts as a multi-purpose space for drama, music, dining and lectures as well as the main social space of the school.
The new school is located as an addition to an existing educational complex. The surrounding park-like landscape is partially designed as shady woodlands, with embedded playgrounds and playing fields, and a smaller screened area for the kindergarten.
Danish architecture studio BIG has completed an underground maritime museum that loops around an old dry dock in Helsingør, Denmark (+ slideshow).
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
Rather than filling the empty dock, BIG chose to repurpose it as a public courtyard at the centre of the new museum, then added a series of bridges that cut into the 60-year-old walls.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
Located in the surrounds of Kronborg Castle, which dates back to the fifteenth century, the Danish Maritime Museum forms part of the Kulturhavn Kronborg initiative – an effort to bring cultural attractions to Helsingør’s harbour.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
The museum’s underground galleries present the story of Denmark’s maritime history up to the present day, contained within a two-storey rectangular structure that encases the dry dock.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
“By wrapping the old dock with the museum program we simultaneously preserve the heritage structure, while transforming it to a courtyard bringing daylight and air in to the heart of the submerged museum,” said Bjarke Ingels, the founding partner of BIG.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
The architect also emphasises that the presence of the dock allows the museum to be visible, without impacting on views towards the adjacent castle.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
“Out of respect for Hamlet’s Castle we needed to remain completely invisible and underground, but to be able to attract visitors we needed a strong public presence,” he said. “Leaving the dock as an urban abyss provides the museum with an interior facade facing the void and at the same time offers the citizens of Helsingør a new public space sunken eight metres below the level of the sea.”
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
A trio of double-level bridges span the dock. The first run directly across, forming an extension of the harbour promenade, while the second and third lead visitors gradually down to the museum’s entrance.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
An auditorium is contained inside one, while the others form extensions of the galleries, which were put together by exhibition designers Kossmann.Dejong.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
KiBiSi, the design studio co-run by Ingels, created a collection of street furniture to line the edge of the site, arranged as dots and dashes to resemble Morse code.
BIG with Kossmann.dejong+Rambøll+Freddy Madsen+KiBiSi have completed the Danish National Maritime Museum in Helsingør. By marrying the crucial historic elements with an innovative concept of galleries and way-finding, BIG’s renovation scheme reflects Denmark’s historical and contemporary role as one of the world’s leading maritime nations.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
The new Danish National Maritime Museum is located in Helsingør, just 50 km (30 mi.) north of Copenhagen and 10 km (6.5 mi.) from the world famous Louisiana Museum for Modern Art.
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
The new 6,000 m² (65,000 ft²) museum finds itself in a unique historical context adjacent to one of Denmark’s most important buildings, Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site – known from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is the last addition to Kulturhavn Kronborg, a joint effort involving the renovation of the Castle and two new buildings – offering a variety of culture experiences to residents and visitors to Helsingør.
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
Leaving the 60 year old dock walls untouched, the galleries are placed below ground and arranged in a continuous loop around the dry dock walls – making the dock the centrepiece of the exhibition – an open, outdoor area where visitors experience the scale of ship building.
Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj
A series of three double-level bridges span the dry dock, serving both as an urban connection, as well as providing visitors with short-cuts to different sections of the museum. The harbour bridge closes off the dock while serving as harbour promenade; the museum’s auditorium serves as a bridge connecting the adjacent Culture Yard with the Kronborg Castle; and the sloping zig-zag bridge navigates visitors to the main entrance. This bridge unites the old and new as the visitors descend into the museum space overlooking the majestic surroundings above and below ground. The long and noble history of the Danish Maritime unfolds in a continuous motion within and around the dock, 7 metres (23 ft.) below the ground. All floors – connecting exhibition spaces with the auditorium, classroom, offices, café and the dock floor within the museum – slope gently creating exciting and sculptural spaces.
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
Bjarke Ingels: “By wrapping the old dock with the museum program we simultaneously preserve the heritage structure while transforming it to a courtyard bringing daylight and air in to the heart of the submerged museum. Turning the dock inside out resolved a big dilemma; out of respect for Hamlet’s Castle we needed to remain completely invisible and underground – but to be able to attract visitors we needed a strong public presence. Leaving the dock as an urban abyss provides the museum with an interior façade facing the void and at the same time offers the citizens of Helsingør a new public space sunken 8 m (16 ft.) below the level of the sea.”
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
KiBiSi has designed the above ground bench system. The granite elements are inspired by ship bollards and designed as a constructive barrier that prevents cars from driving over the edge. The system is a soft shaped bench for social hangout and based on Morse code – dots and dashes writing a hidden message for visitors to crack.
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
The exhibition was designed by the Dutch exhibition design office Kossmann.dejong. The metaphor that underpins the multimedia exhibition is that of a journey, which starts with an imagining of the universal yearning to discover far away shores and experience adventures at sea. Denmark’s maritime history, up to the current role of the shipping industry globally, is told via a topical approach, including notions such as harbour, navigation, war and trade. The exhibition has been made accessible for a broad audience through the intertwining of many different perspectives on the shipping industry.
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
David Zahle, Partner-in-Charge: “For 5 years we have been working on transforming the old concrete dock into a modern museum, which required an archaeologist care and spacecraft designer’s technical skills. The old lady is both fragile and tough; the new bridges are light and elegant. Building a museum below sea level has taken construction techniques never used in Denmark before. The old concrete dock with its 1.5 m thick walls and 2.5 m thick floor has been cut open and reassembled as a modern and precise museum facility. The steel bridges were produced in giant sections on a Chinese steel wharf and transported to Denmark on the biggest ship that has ever docked in Helsingør. The steel sections weigh up to 100 tons a piece and are lifted on site by the two largest mobile cranes in northern Europe. I am truly proud of the work our team has carried out on this project and of the final result.”
Photograph by Luca Santiago Mora
On Saturday October 5, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, cut the ribbon to mark the grand opening. The new Danish National Maritime Museum is open to the public for outdoor activities, exhibitions and events, making the museum a cultural hub in the region throughout the year.
This gas compressor station in southern Denmark by Scandinavian firm C.F. Møller comprises Corten steel-clad boxes atop a pair of artificial hills (+ slideshow).
Corten steel panels create a textured surface around the upper walls of the structures, and were chosen because they are easy to maintain and fit in well with the natural surroundings.
“The plating is juxtaposed to create a varied and vibrant pattern of light and shadow,” said architect Julian Weyer. “The combination of materials aims to make the buildings appear rugged and elegant at the same time.”
The bases of both buildings are tucked down into the centre of two artificial hills, which are covered with grass.
The new technical plant is the first of its kind in Denmark, suppling gas to pipelines as far away as Germany and Sweden.
The interior of the plant is divided up into a linear sequence of rooms, accommodating storage areas, fire-extinguishing spaces, workshops, and boiler rooms. Additional buildings on-site accommodate an emergency generator in case of power failure.
Photography is by Julian Weyer.
Here’s a description from the architects:
Gas Kompressor Station, Egtved
Natural gas plant consisting of compressor station and service buildings.
A technical site is normally swaddled in greenery to prevent it from becoming an eyesore in the natural environment. The new Energinet.dk compressor station at Egtved is Denmark’s first installation of its kind, and here the opposite is true.
C.F. Møller has designed the plant, consisting of four compressor units and service buildings, as an architectural feature in the open landscape. The form of the buildings was also specially chosen in order to achieve optimum safety conditions at the plant.
The new technical plant, supplying the central intersection of the gas pipelines connection north-south from Germany and east-west to Sweden, has a landscape-like expression emerging from the landscape as a grassy embankment.
The remainder of the building appears almost to hover over the mound and is clad with rust-coloured Corten steel plating. The plating is juxtaposed to create a varied and vibrant pattern of light and shadow. The combination of materials aims to make the buildings appear rugged and elegant at the same time.
The grass and iron-clad plant houses service buildings, including an emergency generator and storage rooms, and beyond the buildings lies the compression plant itself atop an open plane. The buildings are designed to provide visual, aural and safety screening from the compression units.
“We began by asking ourselves a question: Can we push the boundaries for how we see a technical plant? Can we create a gas plant in dialogue with the landscape and yet focus on the energy supply infrastructure, on which we all depend?” says Julian Weyer, architect and partner.
The simple and striking design of the service buildings and substation also provides the opportunity for great flexibility in relation to the functional adaptation of the design in the coming phases.
Background
Natural gas supplies from the North Sea are dwindling. To ensure a regular and safe energy supply in the future, Denmark has to be able to receive gas from continental Europe.
Concept diagram
Energinet.dk has therefore constructed 94 kilometres of “gas motorway” from Egtved to Germany. This extension of the fossil gas system may well be a decisive step on the road to a green energy system, which is projected by 2050 to use only renewable energy.
Concept diagram
Client: Energinet.dk Address: Egtved, Denmark Engineering: Niras A/S Architect: C. F. Møller Architects Landscape: C. F. Møller Architects Size: 4.600 m² new-built and 20.000 m2 compressor station Year: 2010-2013
A cluster of seven house-shaped buildings makes up this cancer care centre in Næstved, Denmark, by Copenhagen firm EFFEKT (+ slideshow).
Rather than designing the facility as one large structure, EFFEKT planned a series of domestic-scale buildings with gabled roof profiles and arranged them around a pair of courtyards on a site at the Næstved Hospital.
“Varying roof heights and materials means that the building will have its own unique architectural character that clearly distinguishes it from the surrounding hospital buildings,” said the architects.
White fibre-cement boards are arranged horizontally across the exterior walls and roof of each block, apart from two facades that are clad in vertical timber boards to signify the positions of entrances.
The building was commissioned by the Danish Cancer Society and provides a centre where anyone affected by cancer can find out more about the illness or receive counselling. It is located close to the hospital’s cancer ward, providing easy access for patients and family members.
Each house-shaped building provides a different function and they include a library, a kitchen, private meeting rooms, a lounge, a shop, a gym and a healthcare facility.
“The houses offer a wide range of rooms for informal advice, therapy and interaction with a focus on the user’s comfort and wellbeing,” explained the architects.
Two courtyards are positioned between the buildings and feature paved areas filled with garden furniture.
Bookshelves cover entire walls, integrating small window seats, while a mixture of homely furnishings feature throughout.
Other cancer-care facilities we’ve featured include a series of Maggie’s Centres, which were developed in the UK to provide support to anyone affected by cancer and have been designed by architects including Snøhetta and OMA. See more Maggie’s Centres »
Livsrum – Cancer Counselling Centre, Næstved, Denmark
Livsrum is EFFEKT’s project in the competition for a new cancer counselling centre at Næstved Hospital in Denmark in collaboration with Hoffmann and Lyngkilde.
The centre is designed as a cluster of seven small houses around two green outdoor spaces.
Each house has its own specific function and together they form a coherent sequence of different spaces and functions such as a library, kitchen, conversation rooms, lounge, shops, gym, and wellness facilities.
The house offers a wide range of different rooms for informal advice, therapy and interaction with a focus on the users’ comfort and wellbeing.
A varying roof height and materials used means that the building will have its own unique architectural character that clearly distinguishes it from the surrounding hospital buildings.
With the location of the cancer counselling centre close to the hospital’s cancer ward, it is set for a closer collaboration between hospital staff and the Danish Cancer Society.
Photograph by the architects
In the spring of 2013 the Danish Cancer Society staff and volunteers in Næstved expects to offer cancer patients and caregivers a warm welcome in the new cancer counselling centre.
Exterior 3D diagram
Client: The Danish Cancer Society Architect: EFFEKT Engineers: Lyngkilde Contractor: Hoffmann
Interior 3D diagram
Size: 740 square metres Type: Cancer counselling centre Site: Næstved, Copenhagen, Denmark
Building-shaped cut-outs cast the shadow of a city onto a wall in this Copenhagen installation by Polish designer Izabela Boloz (+ slideshow + movie).
Shadow City by Izabela Boloz features 52 silhouettes in the shape of buildings, ships, boats, birds and fish. Each graphic is fitted to a transparent plastic sheet and positioned horizontally over a walkway at the edge of Sortedams Sø lake in Copenhagen’s central Østerbro district.
The shadows fall across a 100-metre-long green-painted wall below and slowly change throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.
“Shadow City comes alive with the rising sun as the shadows travel across the wall,” said Boloz. “A playful image of a city appears, inspired by the history of Copenhagen, and changes as it slowly moves across the wall with the changing position of the sun.”
The whole project can be viewed by standing on a nearby pedestrian bridge.
“The installation introduces an element of surprise and intrigue, inviting the passers-by to observe the changing details in our surroundings,” Boloz explained. “As inhabitants of Copenhagen pass over the pedestrian bridge on their way to school, work or play, they will see the image of the city slowly travel across the wall, changing with every hour and every season.”
Shadow City will be on display until the autumn of 2014.
Sunlight and shadows are the materials in a public space installation Shadow City by Izabela Boloz in the picturesque district of Østerbro in Copenhagen.
With a series of 52 graphics that cast their shadows onto a 100 metre wall on the lake, Shadow City comes alive with the rising sun as the shadows travel across the wall. A playful image of a city appears, inspired by the history of Copenhagen, and changes as it slowly moves across the wall with the changing position of the sun.
Shadow City reveals the artist’s fascination with the passing of time. The installation introduces an element of surprise and intrigue, inviting the passers-by to observe the changing details in our surrounding.
As inhabitants of Copenhagen pass over the pedestrian bridge on their way to school, work or play, they will see the image of the city slowly travel across the wall, changing with every hour and every season.
Shadow City has been created in collaboration with Metro Copenhagen within a program to introduce art in public spaces in Copenhagen. The installation will be on view from the summer of 2013 until the autumn of 2014.
A cluster of five gabled cabins make up this summer retreat in northern Denmark by architects Powerhouse Company (+ movie).
Powerhouse Company designed the holiday home for a family in northern Sjælland as a twist on the traditional Danish summer house, with five interconnected cabins arranged in a five-fingered plan.
“This solution faithfully reflects the rather different desires of the family members,” said the architects. “One wanted a picturesque, cosy and archetypal summer house, while another wanted a spacious and contemporary feeling.”
Externally clad with blackened timber boards, the cabins overlap one another to create a central living area that opens out to a series of wooden outdoor decks.
“Summerhouses are traditionally family spaces but when children grow older they need more independence from their parents, hence the ‘village of cabins’ organisation, with radiating individual spaces that are united in the centre,” the architects added.
The living room, kitchen and dining area occupy three of the cabins, while one contains a master bedroom and another houses two smaller bedrooms.
White walls and timber flooring feature throughout the house and angled skylights bring extra daylight into each cabin.
Powerhouse Company was asked to design a weekend house for a young family in northern Sjælland, Denmark. Village House is an exploration on the possibilities of the Summer cabin, the traditional Danish vacation home. While keeping the cabin’s footprint small, spatial as well as sustainable, there is a wide range of spatial possibilities, by using a five-fingered floor plan.
The house is a cluster of five wings, like miniature cabins. These fan out like a hand spreading five fingers over the site, generating a variety of views, light effects and outdoor areas. This variation means the house provides an enjoyable environment all year round and at all times of day. For example, a large window above the living room allows sunlight to bathe the dining table at around midday. Summerhouses are traditionally family spaces, but when children grow older they need more independence from their parents. Hence the ‘village of cabins’ organisation, with radiating individual spaces that are united in the centre.
Each member of the family effectively has the option of privacy when they need it. Meanwhile a star-shaped central space, uniting the living room and kitchen, forms the shared area which nevertheless offers pockets of seclusion to spend time alone while still in the family circle. This solution faithfully reflects the rather different desires of the family members. One wanted a picturesque, cosy and archetypal summerhouse, while another wanted a spacious and contemporary feeling. Both desires are united in the design.
In basing Village House on the classic Danish summerhouse, while adding modern ideas of space, Powerhouse Company has created a contemporary harmony. The elementary wooden structure has a pitched roof, and it is black, the most discreet colour in nature, like the dark shadows in the surrounding woods. Inside, the uniform white surface maximises the northern light. The rustic but modern solution is low maintenance, which is more important for a holiday home than offering lots of space. From an architectural point of view, its close relationship to the context is especially significant in a holiday home. The house contrasts with the routine home of the clients, and provides the basis for a separate lifestyle. Isn’t that what we are looking for when we go on holiday?
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