North House
A low timber house at the edge of the forest, lifted on a stone plinth so that the ground — and the ski trail — can run beneath it.
A house that lets the forest run beneath it.
At the edge of Nordmarka, North House is a low timber bar lifted on a stone plinth — warm inside, almost invisible from the trees.
The site slopes north toward a small lake and is crossed by a public ski trail. Rather than fence the trail, we raised the house on a stone plinth and let the path pass beneath the living room. In winter, skiers go by at eye level with the floor.
The house is built in spruce from a mill two hours away, with a roof of turf and a façade of untreated heartwood that will silver over time. A long, single-pitched roof follows the fall of the land; the south side opens entirely to the sun, while the north walls close down to small, framed views of the lake.
Inside, the plan is a single continuous room for cooking, eating and sitting, with three bedrooms and a sauna tucked behind. The palette is almost monochrome — timber, stone, wool — so that the changing forest provides the colour.
Inside the project.
The house was photographed in late winter, when the trail is busiest and the light is lowest.
The house disappears into the trees, and then the trees come inside.
The clients — North House, 2023