The Vatnan family came to Nordic — Office of Architecture to get their dream home designed. They had a simplistic architectural idea, but a demanding site to build on.

The site is located on the edge of an established residential area with limited space for access and with a steep topography, but the south-west facade is shielded from insight and has a fantastic view.

The family wanted a home for everyday life and festive events, where the main rooms are all collected on one oor with generous room sizes and well resolved spatial relationships. By lifting the main oor up on the site, to one oor above the natural entrance level we managed to capture the views and sun, while the elongated body of the house shelters against the wind and creates an open private outdoor space. The bedrooms and common areas all have direct access to the garden via a covered terrace stretching the length of the house.

The functional layout is emphasised with a carefully selected material palette. For example - the complete primary oor is pine boarding, the living room, kitchen and covered terrace is clad in oak, and the exposed concrete is sealed. The ceiling height of 2.8m was de ned to contribute to the openness and frame a grand southwest view.

The basement and main oor is cast concrete, the gable and long walls are cedar clad, and all xtures and ttings are zinc. Steel was selected to form the main oor framing as well as providing a thin pro le for the roof. Primary access to the house is below the main living level within the contoured landscape. From here, you are invited to under the structure, with the main oor appearing to oat in the terrain above you. The social space, which balances openness and privacy with the contact to nature, de nes one of the house’s many successes.