Floating on pillars over an untouched, sloped terrain on the southern coast of Norway, this atrium cabin frames the view of the ocean south-west, with Denmark on the far away horizon. 

3 separate volumes are connected by a wooden deck floating above the sloped terrain of solid rock and natural, local vegetation. Under a shared, cantilevered roof, the atrium shaped floor plan creates an “inside/outside” effect for its purpose as a summer house - using the outdoor spaces as much as the indoors. The roof shape is carefully considered and designed for both keeping the sunlight out, and letting natural light in as it protects the shared outdoor spaces from rainy days. 

The summer cabin is wrapped in locally sourced spruce siding, impregnated with an organic wood protection with gray color pigments, giving it a natural and weathered look from day one. The interior walls are all out of white painted, horizontal wood siding that meets a warmer toned floor and ceiling of white oiled spruce - a collour palette typical to traditional and older cabins on the coast of Norway. 

The wooden pillars lifting the cabin off the ground are connected with cross-laminated timber beams in the deck, continuing all the way up to the roof construction which copies the structural beams in the deck, inspired by typical mid-century steel structured homes in California, where the architect got his degree. A V-shaped wood column caries the weight of the cantilevered roof as a large glass corner opens the main living space to its surrounding natural elements - embracing the inside/outside feeling of the “I/O Cabin” on pillars. 

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Contractor: KJ Prosjekt AS.

Photography: Carlos Rollán