tham and videgard hansson arkitekter: house karlsson

house karlsson by tham & videgard hansson arkitekter
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter

house karlsson by tham & videgard hansson arkitekter is a family home situated
on the northern coast of the lake mälaren in central sweden. it is located in a former
recreational area where, in recent years, most of the small weekend houses have been
either extended or replaced by catalogue housing.

a starting point for the project was the simple constructions of rural buildings
and the architecture of swedish barns and warehouses.

the brief was defined in two parts: a complete living floor at entrance level, and an upper
floor that is only partly finished representing a future possible extension within the house.

in contrast to the deep red exterior, the interior space is very light. it is characterised
by the three light shafts that rise through the attic to let the sunlight enter also from above.
two are situated at the short walls of the open living room, the third marks the position
of the stair at the south gable.

combining rooms in a suite with transverse passages the plan offers several alternative
movements through the house. windows are placed to further enhance the difference of
the interior spaces by alternatingly directing the views low towards the garden, far away
towards the lake and the horizon, or high up at the trees and the sky above.

the prismatic exterior is clad with an oversized wooden panel made of heartwood of slowly
grown pine and treated with red tar, a way of reinterpreting the technique of wooden roofs
that has been in use for centuries in scandinavia, mostly in the north and on the island of
gotland in the baltic sea.

freely placed windows in two sizes are punched through the roof and the facades.
fixed sun breaker shutters complement the varied interior light as well as the pattern of
shadow and light of the outside. all exterior fittings and details are painted in the same
colour as the facade.


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


exterior
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter



structure
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


each section of the house
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter



overall structure
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


elevation
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter



floor plan
image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter



image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


image courtesy tham & videgard hansson arkitekter


name of the project: house karlsson
architect: tham & videgård hansson arkitekter,
bolle tham and martin videgård hansson.
client: björn and berit karlsson
collaborators: john billberg, fredrik olsson, claes sörstedt, måns tham.
civil engineer: konkret rådgivande ingenjörer, olle norrman
dates: project 2000, construction 2002.
surface: 200 m2.
cost: 250.000 euro (1250 euro/sqm).
photographer: åke e:son lindman