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Architects: Måns Tham Arkitektkontor
- Area: 220 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Staffan Andersson
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Lead Architect: Måns Tham
Text description provided by the architects. The A-frame ski-lodge is built with pre-fabricated A-frames and curved dormer windows. The triangular shape makes the house into a little mountain in itself. As snow piles up in winter the edge between the ground and house gets blurred. The house is drawn in detail, inside and out with bespoke furniture and interiors made to enhance the A-frame structure.
The tent-like shape of an A-frame house is as basic and traditional as can be. A-frames typically have windows on gables only. But for an A-frame house this big, dormers are necessary to bring in light to the 25 m long house and to make useful spaces on the otherwise tiny upper floor. The house is divided into five sections, five meters each.
The gable sections are without dormers to keep the visual clarity of the frame shape. The dormers are mirrored asymmetrically on each side. The curve of the dormer roof makes them align with the overall shape of the house. The dormer windows look like eyelids or the branches of the old-growth fur trees around. On the inside, the asymmetrical rhythm of dormers and triangles result in sequences of rooms with varying and surprising character. (see sectional drawings)
The plan layout has social areas and a master bath on the lower floor. Long sight lines and a variation between glassed-up views and the protected wooden interior were carefully balanced. The fireplace is custom designed: a monolithic block with a northern-lights-inspired curved space for the fire. The bricks are glazed in a local factory. The custom twelve-meter-long sofa embraces the big room and the panorama window toward the forest.
The goal was to give the entrance level a free flow with hidden sliding doors that makes all rooms including the spa be part of the same movement and the same space. The entrance in the harsh northern facade works as a camera aperture with fully glazed views straight through the building towards the mountains across the valley. The five-meter wide entrance landing has curved ski storages that emphasize the movement into the house. South of the entrance area there is a sunken terrace with a hot tub.
The upper level has two identical suites with 5 beds each and a tent-like gable room. One with morning sun and one with afternoon light. The stair ends up in a small upper den that has a curved ceiling that follows the shape of the dormer.
