H_G30 + H_G32 PROJECT OF TWO CABINS

H_G30 + H_G32 is a project consisting of two hytte. Hytte comes from a deeply rooted culture of shelters in the harsh northern climate. Once serving as a protection for fishermen or shepherds, today they are a stepping stone from everyday life allowing to spend time close to nature. This type of building- modern hytte,
continues the phenomenon, which is occupying an important place in the typology of Norwegian architecture.

The plot is located two kilometers from one of the main national tourist routes Geiranger – Trollstigen. Located on a steep slope, 148m above sea level, the densely forested plot opens south towards Storfjorden - the largest fjord in the region. The context of the place required the smallest possible interference in the ground and rationalization of the costs of building construction. On a larger scale, buildings supplement the tissue of rural buildings consisting of farm buildings and small cabins. For this reason, each of them was created from two, overlapping smaller modules, breaking the body and reducing the roof surface by dividing it into two parts, different in height. The horizontal nature of the foundation allows the buildings to interact gently with the topography and emphasizes
the panoramic, distant southern view, staying barely noticeable from the north. Due to the location of plots around which there is a free area, two houses form an integral whole, complementing each other horizontally.

Deriving from the tradition of Norwegian architecture, the project is based on the additivity and readability of the forms, creating the entire idea. The main axis is an east-west oriented retaining wall with a break in 1/3 its length, continuing the arched shape of the slope. Subsequent forms of two cabins follow the wall, completing the dynamic linear arrangement on the plot. Behind the wall there is an additional space for storage and relaxation (sauna, wine room).

The project is a search for a new functional form, created by abandoning conventional divisions (wall) and exchanging it for functional divisions using a form itself that also remains legible from the inside. The higher module has a communication function inside, the lower one is a private and daily space. The moment of imposing the two forms is the technical and economic core in the basement, and additional recreational space above. The small depth of the building and full opening to the south contrasts with the closing from the north. The main communication path open from two sides, directing towards outside, blurring the division between the inside and the nature around.