Farm House / JVA
Architects: Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL
Location: Toten, Norway
Client: Ane Kristin Rogstad og Trond Nygård
Project Architects: Einar Jarmund, Håkon Vigsnæs, Alessandra Kosberg
Collaborator: Nikolaj Zamecznik
Contractor: Byggmester Rotstigen AS
Project Year: 2005-2006
Construction Year: 2007-2008
Constructed Area: 165 sqm
Photographs: Nils Petter Dale
This is a small house for two historians and their children, overlooking lake Mjøsa at an abandoned farm which they have inherited. The existing old house in the yard is not insulated and used for guests and storage. The existing barn has to be torn down because the main load bearing construction is rotten. However, the cladding of the barn, more than 100 years old, is still of good quality and now used for exterior cladding and terraces of the new house. Some of the old planks are cut with a varied with at the root of the tree compared to the top. These diagonals are used to adjust the horizontality of the cladding towards the sloping lines of the ground and the angle of the roof. The spatial complexity, exposed construction, and material simplicity of the barn has also inspired and informed the new architecture in a wider sense.
From the main entrance to the south, the interior organization has a dual focus, both opening the whole facade towards the lake to the north, and at the same time stepping the central space downwards to the terrace at the west side of the house. The series of common spaces at these sloping axes are visually connected, opening the full length of the house. Above, there is a children’s loft, below the parent’s part of the house. The main section rises towards the south to allow for the low winter sun to enter the building. The glazed and lofty winter garden works as a heat collector at winter time, and heat buffer for the rest of the house at summer time.
The area is about 150 m2, main construction and surfaces made of wood, windows lined with aluminum, ground floor in exposed concrete. There is 40 cm of rock wool insulation in the roof construction, 20 cm in the walls. There is water based underfloor heating combined with a wood burning stove.
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- first level plan
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- second level plan
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- north elevation
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- west elevation
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- south elevation
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- east elevation
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- section 01
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- section 02
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- section 03
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- section 04
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- section 05
The exterior cladding at the bottom parts of the house should have been kept straight rather than angled. It looks somehow unfinished on the outside. The interior is quite fun, but the photos make it seem small. Not a bad little shack.
Actually, I think the exterior cladding that follows the contour of the land is an ingenious touch to an overall ingenious house. To me this is what architecture is all about – gesture. This has the gestural energy of wonderful buildings like the Cabanon. This house demonstrates that very simple materials can be used to enormous effect without much fuss.
The plans are as beautiful as the result. I am sure the owners love living here.
Terry Glenn Phipps
This is gorgeous, elegant, clever and practical. I want it.
Such a clever plan…
It is a small house, yet hugely interesting and varied. I suggest archdaily makes a special scandinavian section, it seems to always come up with a more humane approach to architecture.
I am also wondering how cost effective this type of house is…
The windows are fantastic. I wonder who makes them?
Man, the Arch Daily audience is pretty funny: loving this little house, which is decent sure, but hardly “ingenious”" or so “clever” (somewhat excepting the optical-illusion siding and the long section). But when work is posted here that dares to go beyond the vernacular, it often gets seriously dogged (like many of the Ordos villa designs). And Terry, I beg to differ that architecture is “all about” gesture. Most work that is gestural at heart is often open to criticism for that very issue. In the case of this house, it luckily seems to transcend gesture, becoming more spatially motivated within, while sticking to a vernacular language overall.
Very nice design. I don’t think 165 m² is small house for 2 + 2 people. I would say that’s quite normal size in Scandinavia.
cladding:
it just uses the reality of the tree that narrows down to the top to create angled cladding boards, so more parts of the same tree can be used. Very efficient use of timber that connect very well to the site conditions.
size:
It is funny how Americans(?) consider European houses always small, but look at your energy bill and you understand there’s no need for all this excess space. How much m2 do you really need to feel comfortable in such beautiful landscape?
It’s funny how messy this house looks on the outside and clean on the inside. I would agree it looks small but isn’t actually. Something doesn’t work to me, maybe it’s the pictures. Although I like the concept behind the design (winter sun to enter the building etc…) I think it’s the outside look that I can’t like.
What a lovely project! Thank you for publishing this, I have, and am sure, will continue to enjoy looking at these photos.
I dont like interior, it is booooring, but facade is quite fun but also as someone said i dont like windows placement, btw on some sides they are to small. knowing that on north there is not much daylight.