Type of project: Direct commission
Location: A ridge of bare rock in the western outskirts of Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building: 180 sqm

Is it possible to build a house on a site and still keep it? The question has arised  in several of our previous projects. If one places a building on the most attractive spot of a property, that spot will naturally then cease to exist. The exposed rock on the top of this site was easy to fall in love with and to see as the exterior space where one would want to spend future sunny summer days once the house was built. Yet the municipal plan called for this to be the location of the building and severe blasting would additionally be needed in order to meet the regulations for enabling life also for disabled people. The other half of the site was made up by a steep slope with lush forest marked as protected area in the plan. A long bureaucratic journey ended in the approval of a building that sits right on the border of the ridge and the slope. The rocky ridge is embraced as entrance to the house and as prime exterior spaces in the sun. The slope has become a shaded and secluded world in and under the building as the building cantilevers out between the trees, without touching or interfering with them. An old sturdy oak demanded the building to divide up in to two separate bodies. The result is a fragile treehouse on a sturdy glulam frame that supports the volumes of the building as well as it´s generous terrasses and balconies. The vertical part of the frame blends in with the stems of the trees still standing in the slope. The program of the clients called for a house for family life but also for a house to be private in. Several different worlds exist side by side in this project. Different worlds that coexist without intruding on each other, offering an alternative place and space for every mood and situation.

Contractor: Credab through Fredrik Dzhumashaly
Structural engineer: Limträteknik i Falun through Leif Karlsson
Images: Åke E-son Lindman

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: South facing slope south of Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa

Villa Nero sits high on a south facing slope with a magnificent view over the surrounding landscape, where a mix of woods, fields and the Baltic Sea in the far distance make up the scenery. The building itself bridges between two large rock formations. The rocky landscape initiated the concept for the building where the rocks remain present and mostly untouched and the void between them is used as driveway and garage. Large balconies give quick access to generous exterior spaces as well as add a strong sense of horizontally that architecturally tributes to the ever-present horizon. The balconies also give appreciated shade and rain cover for the spaces lying underneath. As entrance is from below a generous exterior stairway has been added as a complement to the interior entrance through the garage. the backside of the house has a very different atmosphere as it faces a secluded rocky and forestry area. The bedrooms and more private parts of the building face this side. The trees come all the way up to the facade, as do the deer when they come to greet the residents through the large windows.

Contractor: Nero Bygg
Structural engineer: Kristofer Andersson Convia 
Images: Erika Stenlund

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Southwest coast, Sweden
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building: 180 sqm (+ 115 sqm outdoor area)

This is our first built project on the west coast of Sweden, an ocean front with variations of rough rocks and sandy beaches. The clients in this case are devoted surfers who have spent many vacations abroad on surf sites. For their own house they now wanted to catch some of the sensation of easy surf life but placed in a Swedish context. Much focus was spent on discussing the essence of summer living as well as the logistics of surfing. A large roof protected outdoor section holds storage for sails and boards as well as outdoor shower and racks for wet suits. Further board storage by the entrance adds atmosphere to the interior always visually present. The social areas face the open ocean and are tightly connected to an even larger roof protected outdoor area which summertime serves as the main living room. The white color scheme with white wooden panel and a bright concrete floor together with the roof lights help express the presence of the sun even in not so sunny summers, which are a bit too common.

The Surfers House has been portraited in numerous national and international publications.

Additional design team members: Daniel Johansson. This project was developed during our  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ constellation.
Contractor: MMB Bygg
Structural engineer: Martin & Co through Martin Karlsson
Photographer: Åke E:son Lindman

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Norrtälje, outside Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building:  155 sqm

A German couple owning two back to back properties north of Stockholm decided after spending several summer holidays in a traditional red cabin on one of the properties to leave that house for children and guests and build a new house for themselves on the second plot. The wish was for a house that fitted in and that preferably could have roots in Swedish traditional buildings. We decided to seek inspiration from the traditional Swedish barn frequently present in the surrounding landscape. Through a series of transformation we have given it completely new qualities within the existing framework. The color is still traditional “falu red” but the wood replaced with concrete and the ceramic tile roof replaced with a wooden boards. The traditional Swedish barn was usually very consciously placed in the landscape, but seldom let the landscape affect its form. To emphasis this integrity of the building we let our barn float above the ground and terraces become part of the building rather than the landscape. Inside the building is held up by two closed cores containing closed functions. Through large wooden beams the load of the roof fully lands on these cores making support in the glassed strip separating the concrete walls from the wooden roof unnecessary. The interior rooms can be fully opened to let inner and outer spaces fully interact in the summertime.

The Barn House has been portraited in numerous national and international publications.

Additional design team : Daniel Johansson, Detlev Henkel, Ola Keijer.  This project was developed during our  ’Arkitektstudio Widjedal Racki Bergerhoff’ era.
Contractor:  RPJ Bygg – John Larsson and  APJ Betong och anläggningsteknik (concrete)
Structural engineer:  Martin & Co through Martin Karlsson
Photographer: Michael Perlmutter

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Trosa, south west of Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building:  240 sqm (180 indoors) + 20 sqm refugio

A private residence in the archipelago of tockholm situated on a beautiful site overlooking the sea. The setting is scenic but the climate is harsh. Summers are mild and short, and the wind can often be a problem in these coastal areas. As in many of our projects, great emphasis is put on exploring the border between inside and outside – protected and exposed – building and nature. One-third of the built area consists of roof-covered outdoor areas. The H shape helps to create intimate and wind-protected courtyards that prolong the summer season. The main veranda is fully covered and has an open fireplace that keeps the temperature up during the spring and autumn. The social areas have concrete floors and are kept a bit rough. The private bedroom section is elevated from the concrete and less rough, with dark wooden floor and interiors. The main materials used are concrete, rusty steel, untreated pine wood, oiled wenge and water. In this house, as in many of our projects, materials and their interplay with light, rather than form, gain focus and create atmosphere.

The building won the ”Award for good architecture” by the Swedish Association of Architects Södermanland and it also received a nomination for ”The Swedish Wood Award”. It has further been portraited in numerous national and international publications as well as been the setting for TV- and Commercial productions.

This project was developed during the  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ era.

Contractor:  RPJ Bygg – John Larsson
Structural engineer:  Martin & Co through Martin Karlsson
Photographer: Åke E-son Lindman

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Outskirts of Stockholm on the lake Mälaren
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building:  225 sqm + 40 outdoor area

A young couple had seen an article about one of our house and gotten convinced they finally should sell their flat downtown Stockholm and move out to their country house site an hour away. The site sits dramatically on a shelf on a barren cliff wall. The existing summer house on the property was situated on the middle of this shelf leaving an exposed narrow strip between the house and the drop off as well as a protected strip between the house and the rock. The latter was the most frequently used outdoor area due to the exposed and windy situation. This strip was however fully cut off from the lake view and the qualities of the site. Our challenge was to build a much larger building and at the same time free more outdoor space preferably protected and with a view. Our suggestion was a house that follows the outer rim of the shelf and at places cantilevers over the drop-off. A large protected courtyard was generated and transparency with large glassed sliding doors guaranteed connection between the two sides. On the windy side by the drop off a recessed outdoor balcony with fireplace provides a protected outdoor space. The balcony is connected to the kitchen with a greenhouse, creating an in-between zone for fall and spring. Summertime the glassed walls of the greenhouse can be fully removed or partly closed to block the wind. The building sits firmly on the rock as a labyrinth concrete fortress. The labyrinthic feeling generated by the complex form guarantees a variation in spactial experience. Besides concrete, the glossy wooden ceiling is a main character which helps reflect the glittering water below to add on the almost magical sensation of the site.

The house has been the setting for several TV- and comercial productions. The building also led to a nomination for ”Swedish concrete architect of the year”.

Design team : This project was developed during our  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ time period.
Contractor: RPJ Bygg
Photographer: Åke E:son Lindman

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: By the sea in the archipelago of  Trosa, south of Stockholm
Type of building: Private leisure house
Size of building: 100 sqm

This house was the first project completed by the studio. The studio carried out both the design and the construction work. The house has gained a lot of attention and received a number of awards, including the Swedish Wood Award. The house is a leisure house and was built for a couple in their sixties.

The building was thought of as a tool to help explore the qualities and sensations of the site and surrounding nature. Through conscious handling of the daylight on naked surfaces and shading laths, the mode of climate and weather outside always becomes present inside.

The theme for the plan was to divide the house into different zones, the use of which would depend on the climate and the conditions of the weather. The main functions are concentrated in a core area, which is well insulated and can be heated in winter. During warmer periods, the habitable area can be extended to the adjoining veranda and hallway, which are heated only by solar radiation. A glazed canopy on horizontal laths provides yet another sheltered zone along the facade.

The ”Summer House Trosa” has won the ”Swedish Wood Award” and has been published in numerous national and international publications.

Contractor:  Håkan Widjedal and Natasha Racki
Images:  Max Plunger