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SENJA

BJØRNÅDAL ARKITEKTSTUDIO
NORWAY

© Bjørnådal Arkitektstudio

PROJECT DETAILS:

Official Project Name : Cabin Senja Location: Senja, Norway Client: Solbjørg Sørensen & Reidar Fagerholt Architects/designers: Bjørnådal Arkitektstudio AS Project Manager: Hans-Petter Bjørnådal Design team: Architect MNAL Hans-Petter Bjørnådal Collaborators: Reidar Fagerholt & Solbjørg Sørensen Engineers: Hustre Landscape Architect: Bjørnådal Arkitektstudio Suppliers: Hustre Project sector: Housing Budget: 2 400 000 NOK Project completion date: July 2020 Photographer: Hans-Petter Bjørnådal

KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DESIGNERS:

The cabin is located in Senja at 69° north in Norway surrounded by majestic mountains, magical fjords with thriving fishing villages, holding on to narrow bits of land between mountains and ocean. The National Tourist Route leads you on a 10 mil long journey along with one of the finest landscapes, with spectacular points of view and several exciting detours.

The cabin designed by Bjørnådal Arkitektstudio is located near a small fishing village called Hamn. The client wanted a family cottage with panoramic views of Senja's stunning mountains and nature. In such a beautiful and delicate landscape, it is important to build with nature and create a project that feels like a part of the landscape.

By studying old Sami building traditions, the architects found the ancient tradition of “Heller” where Sami would find shelter and build a cottage under large rocks. By shaping the building envelope like a stone with natural lines similar to the mountains, one could make a large panorama window in this shape. The project then becomes a "rock with a view" that settles naturally in the terrain - hidden by the forest from neighbors and the main road. Still, on the inside of the cabin, you feel like being part of nature.

The cabin has a wooden facade painted in dark grey to naturally blend in with the surrounding nature. The windows are made of wood/aluminum with details in steel to protect from the harsh winter storms. The main entrance is carved into the building mass and creates a sheltered space to relax.