claesson koivisto rune: tind prefab houses

‘tind house’ by claesson koivisto rune, manufactured in sweden image © peter guthrieall images courtesy of claesson koivisto rune

stockholm-based studio claesson koivisto rune have teamed up with manufacturers at fiskarhedenvillan to design a series of pre-fabricated houses with a distinctly scandinavian aesthetic. the ‘tind’ residences draw their name from the norwegian word for ‘mountain peak’, a conceptual underpinning informed by the remarkable lack of sharp pointed peaks in scandinavian mountain systems. the softened edges of the range, shaved during the last major ice age, lend the landscape a particular beauty that finds its way into the architecture in the form of a truncated, single pitch roof. floor-grazing windows are relegated to major walls and all apertures lie flush with light-drenched interiors. rather than a perforated volume, the home is a rhythmic composition of built material and void, seamlessly delineated by beveled niches that also disguise the building’s joists. roof and wall are sharply divided and every vertex is clearly expressed by material changes. despite the various models of kit houses, every interior is organized by a central entrance way or staircase and seeks to blur notions of interior and exterior. while prefabricated homes have many historical iterations, the architectural integrity of the ‘tind’ series is preserved through culturally relevant approaches to living.

the three dwelling designs will be officially launched this week in oslo and stockholm and will later be presented along with ceramic manufacturer globo during milan design week 2013.

the first archetype is a single level, all black residence image © peter guthrie