A cluster of volumes clad in blackened pine conceals a small courtyard at the centre of House with a Hidden Atrium in Denmark, designed by Swedish architecture studio Förstberg Ling.
The two-storey detached extension was created to add additional living spaces to a 1950s cabin that overlooks the sea in the village of Vedding, Zealand.
As the existing cabin already enjoyed expansive sea views from its position on the sloping site, Förstberg Ling decided to create a contrasting “introspective” feel for the nearby extension.
“The old house contains the public rooms, living room and kitchen and it sits on the high point of the plot with panoramic views overlooking the sea,” the studio told Dezeen. “We couldn’t really compete with this view, so instead we focused on and worked with the qualities of more private spaces, having the rooms and volumes being more introspective and vertical.”
Responding to the site’s changing topography, as well as the need to keep the new structure relatively low-lying, the studio divided its spaces across intersecting rectilinear volumes, some of which are partially sunk below ground.
The lower living area and study are separated from the bedroom spaces by a hidden courtyard at the centre of the building, which can only be accessed through a large glass door in the central bathroom.
“It’s a small project but there’s a lot to explore by moving through the different spaces, often moving up or down a couple of steps, relating to the ground outside,” said the studio.
“The four volumes are gathered around a small atrium which can only be accessed through the WC, hence the name of the project,” it added.
In the main bedroom, a double-height volume with a high-level window allows for ample daylight while maintaining privacy, with a smaller space containing a single bed located above.
Large windows framed by deep reveals are strategically placed throughout the home to frame the landscape, taking advantage of the sunken position of certain spaces to sit level with the grass outside.
Internally, pale wooden finishes contrast the charred exterior, with the ground-level areas lined in panelling and the timber structure of the upper spaces left exposed.
“We decided to treat the interior much like a piece of furniture, a wooden cabinet of sorts. The exterior is a play on the older building, but made from burnt wood panels,” said the studio.
Förstberg Ling is an office for architecture and design founded in 2015 in Malmö, Sweden.
Previous projects by the studio include a series of simple redbrick housing blocks in Sweden and the transformation of a blacksmiths’ workshop.
The photography is by Markus Linderoth.
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