Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Southwest coast, Sweden
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building: 180 sqm (+ 115 sqm outdoor area)
Year completed: 2012

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.

Additional design team members: Daniel Johansson. This project was developed during our  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ constellation.
Contractor: MMB Bygg
Photographer: Åke E:son Lindman

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Norrtälje, outside Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building:  155 sqm
Year completed: 2011

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.

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

Type of project: Concept development
Location: Anywhere
Type of building: Complementary building
Size of building: 15 sqm
Year : The concept was developed in 2009 and the first ’Relax Cabin’ was built in 2010
Visualisations: Bleak

In the year 2008, the guidelines in Sweden for the size of complementary buildings allowed to be built without a permit were changed from 10m² to 15m². To promote the use of wood in private building projects, the Swedish Forest Industries Federation asked three architectural offices to develop building types that make use of these 15m². These buildings are meant to be erected by private people, guided by construction drawings and shopping lists.

Our task was to design a shelter for relaxation, which we concluded could involve quite different activities for different people and places. For some this could be a sauna with ice-water tank, whereas for others it might be a place to paint or do carpentry. Therefore, we developed a flexible framework, making room for different interpretations of the theme.

Additional design team:  Ida Nordesjö. This project was developed during our  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ time period.
Images:  Bleak, Johan Israelsson

Winner of  ‘Swedish Association of Architects Södermanland – Award for good architecture’ 2009
Nominated for ‘Swedish Wood Award  2008′ 

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
Year : 2006

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 but 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 an open fireplace 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.

Nomination for ’The Concrete Architect of the Year’ 2011

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
Year completed: 2010

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.

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

The winner of  Swedish Wood Award 2000.

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
Year completed: 1999

This house was the first project completed by the studio. The studio (at that time Håkan and Natasha) 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 for the year 2000. The house is a leisure house for a couple in their sixties and was built for year-around use.

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.

Contractor:  Håkan Widjedal and Natasha Racki

Winner of  ‘Beauty Council of Värmdö – Architect Award’ 2008

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Ingarö-Evlinge east of Stockholm
Type of building: Private villa
Size of building: Villa 250 sqm + studio 50 sqm
Year completed: 2007

An existing summer house on a steep continuous slope was the starting point for this project. The old house sat in the middle of the property leaving only unusable, narrow and steeply sloping ground around it. A main objective, therefore, was to regain the property and to create flat areas with good sun conditions for outdoor activities. We placed the building on the northern property border, leaving most of the unexploited property facing south. The biggest part of the building was dug into the slope, creating a large horizontal platform on ground level. Half of this platform is taken up by the upper floor of the building; the other half remains an open outdoor terrace adjacent to the kitchen inside. Next to the kitchen is the living area, which, from its elevated position, offers a view of the water, as well as the upper halves of two large oak trees.

A place for inspiration and creation of precious art for this Italian painter and his Swedish wife, the studio makes an abrupt change to its traditional Swedish pitched-roof neighbours. The building glitters as a golden shrine penetrated with large black windows, as it sits in the rocky slope among sculptural pine trees.

Additional design team members:  This project was developed during the  ’Arkitektstudio WRB’ era.
Photographer: Åke E:son Lindman/WRB

Type of project: Direct commission
Location: Archipelago of Stockholm
Type of building: Private summer house
Size of building: 150 sqm (120 indoors) + sauna 20 sqm
Year completed: 2004

The site is a waterfront property located on an island in the archipelago of Stockholm. Oaks and pines living in meagre soil between sculptural rocks dominate the landscape. A big section of the site’s upper part is occupied by a large oak over 500 years old.

The clients, a young family with two children, wished for a house that would take full advantage of the scenic sea view without becoming a dominating feature on the coastline. Important factors were also the demand to create a house for leisure, with a feeling of comfort and relaxation; a house to socialise in; a house to feel pampered by, as opposed to one to take care of.

Our concept for this project is a building that sits slightly back and elevated from the waterfront, half-hidden behind the knotty pine trees. Facing the sea is a large area for socialising. A floor, a roof and a free-standing core for utilities make up this part of the building. It has an indoor part and an outdoor part, separated only by a sliding glass wall. The bedrooms, storage and bathroom are gathered in a more closed structure behind the core. They face a secluded courtyard framed by rock formations and the old oak tree.

Contractor: Ove Lyppert Bygg , Håkan Widjedal and Natasha Racki