Cabin Straumsnes, Norway

In May 2016, architecture studio Rever & Drage revealed their new contemporary cabin structures perched on a hillside on Norway's west coast. The design features modular rooms on wooden stilts that project outwards from the main structure to enhance views of the fjord.

The studio was charged with the task of replacing a dilapidated 1950s holiday home with an innovative and modern cabin design that would harness the spectacular views of its location.

The result is both a traditional shelter with a gabled roof, and at the same time a modernist complex dominated by flat roofed modules. The small annex features a slanted roof covered with wooden shingles that extend to the ground. The main building's gabled roof is angled towards the annex, creating the impression of a continuous surface.

The large window in the top-front module serves both as a centrepiece for the composition as a whole and as a dynamic counterpart to the glass corner at ground level to the northwest.

The choice of materials was inspired by the original swimming pool which was kept and restored as part of the project. The idea was that the gabled roof and rustic materials would contrast with the modern, flat-roofed cubic volumes extending from the edges.

The top, front module facing west contains a small study and has the best ocean views, and although the studio point out that 'the room can sway in storms', they also stress that the construction allows for flexibility in strong winds.

Content and images courtesy of Rever & Drage. http://www.reverdrage.no/

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