On19Legs
On the border between the built and the mountain birch forests the cabin gently anchors its 19 legs into the landscape. The cabin’s silhouette with its prominent roof angle, creates a transition from settlement to nature, imitating both the neighboring cabins in the north and the treetops in the south.
Tracing a natural curve in the topography, the cabin gently folds and follows a downhill slope. From the north only the entrance wing opens up at full height, extending and landing on the upper part of the plot, like Hallingdal’s many traditional barn bridges. Towards east and west the other wings end in slender ter- rasses facing the sunrise and sunset. The whole building creating a Y-shaped volume.
Inside, the cabin is inspired by the terrain it faces. The first floor is divided into five levels that are stacked like a staircase, following the steep plot below. Thus creating a sequence of spaces that relate to each other and to the surrounding nature. The different levels allow the cabin inhabitants both personal space and a sense of togetherness: People can sit in their favourite reading space, while others are playing games at the long table or preparing food in the kitchen. One room comprised of many spaces.
Windows are carefully selected depending on room and use. The main space holds the biggest windows which bring in the landscape and the mountain weather, making nature present at all times.
Under the pitched roof on the second floor are two bedrooms, two alcoves and a mezzanine library looking over the the doubble high living area.
Material and contruction
Constructively the cabin follows a strict rythm of 600mm made visible in the facade by the “legs” and inside by the plywood cladding. The different levels and the interior furniture also follow this logic.
Materials has been sourced localy and chosen to make a more sustainable whole. The cabin has a diffusion open construction. Built almost completely out of wood. The facade is made from heart pine, trusses and pillars are gluelam, the insulation is woodfibre, the interior cladding is birch plywood, the flooring massiv birch and the window are out of oak. Walls and floors are treated with white pigmented “Osmo” hard wax oil. Only selected parts in the cabin are concrete. Such as the pillar plinths, the small technical room/base- ment, the entrance floor and the countertops.
