Size:
285 m2

Location:
Austevoll, Norway

Status:
Completed 2020

One of the key challenges in the design of the island retreat of Villa Austevoll was how to balance the necessity of shelter with the need to make the most of this extraordinary coastal landscape all year round. The house is situated on the island of Selbjørn, which sits within a picturesque archipelago to the south of Bergen, and is accessible only by boat. The design of Villa Austevoll adopts the principal of making the lightest possible impact upon the setting, with the building lifted above the landscape itself, both to protect the natural surroundings and to take advantage of the hillside site and the views that it offers in all directions. The practice developed the idea of a cross-like form for the main body of the building, sitting on top of a recessed plinth - a triangular slice made of concrete, which recesses into the hillside while allowing the main body of the floating house above to dominate, with its sculptural coat of white timber and glass.

Credits:
Todd Saunders with Pedro Léger Pereira and Attila Béres

Photographer:
Ivar Kvaal

Awards and Recognition:
Architizer A+ Awards, Residential Building, Special Mention, 2023

London International Creative Competition, Residential Building, Shortlisted, 2023