AHAA: Cabin at Femunden

On the wild shores of the lake Femunden, in Southern Scandinavia, Aslak Haanshuus Arkitekter refurbished and expandend this cabin trying to achieve a juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern.

Aslak Haanshuus Arkitekter AS, Cabin at Femunden, Norway

The project is located on the shores of the lake Femunden, half an hour’s drive south of the World Heritage Site mining town Røros.

The site lies right on the edge of Femundsmarka National Park, which is part of the largest continuous wilderness areas in Southern Scandinavia.

Originally there were two small log cabins located on the site, and the owner wanted to incorporate these in the new project. Both log cabins were approximately 15 sqm, the oldest being over a hundred years old, and the newer a copy of the older.

The project consists of the two old volumes, and a new addition. The new volume is connected to the old buildings through the use of the same traditional construction method, and using timber of the same dimensions. The three volumes are connected by the enlongated roof, professing that they all belong together in the new entity.

All the volumes of the building are lifted off of the ground, onto a cantilevering deck construction about 50 cm above the terrain, giving the impression that the building floats above the vegetation. This protects the surrounding terrain from wear and tear, as well as visually draws the vegetation closer to the building, since it’s left to thrive all the way to the edge of the deck. Just as the deck protrudes from underneath the building volumes, the roof cantilevers correspondingly, to create sheltered outdoor spaces, and transitional zones between the three indoor volumes. This creates a covered courtyard in the middle of the complex.

The roofing consists of a combination of regular corrugated steel, and translucent corrugated roofing panels in the same dimension. The translucent roofing panels are placed between the indoor volumes, to give downlight to the covered outdoor areas. They are used in correlation to the doors and windows as well, minimizing loss of indoor lighting due to shadows cast by the overhanging eaves.

The two original log cabins are now used as a guest room and a storage room, while the new log addition contains the main cabin with all its functions. This new log volume consists of two wings, connected by a generous entrance that you can access directly from the covered court. In the wing towards the west, you find a row of small rooms: bathroom, sauna, toilet and a technical room.

The living area, with a fireplace and the kitchen area, is located in the main wing, streching directly southward, along with a bedroom. The living area opens out to a seemingly endless view across the Femunden lake and towards the distant mountains. The furniture is mainly built in, and low, protruding log joints and parts of the wall are used for anchoring and holding for instance the kitchen counter, beds and shelves.

An architectural aim in the project, was making the rough, traditional construction work with and create a dialogue with the precision of the corrugated iron, and the aluminum doors and windows, surrounded by precise edges and no moldings. Trying to achieve a juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern, the coarse and the fine.