Bjørnheimveien four residence units were ordered by a private developer in Oslo. Located on a steep site surrounded by private villas and smaller two- to four-units housing. A simple, clean rectangular volume with a classic pitched roof was applied to the site to fit in the sloping landscape and divided in two to suit the contextual scale.
The divided volume allows all identical units with direct access to the backside. Formally it makes the volume appear lighter yet keeping a clear and cohesive façade expression. The clean and simple form has been kept thanks to great detailing of the untreated pinewood, applied with finger joints used both for façade and roof cladding. Windows in slender black steel frames aligns with the wooden clad façade, subtracted with niches for French balconies on the third floor that with its glass railing makes the volume appear intact as a solid. The integrated garage and main entrance door are almost hidden - treated with the same pinewood as in the rest of the façade and contributes to a distinct reading of the building.
The project is organized with the ground floor containing the main entrance and garage, one bedroom as well as technical and storage space. The staircase, acting as the centerpiece of the residence, leads up to the main and social floor where it also works as room divider and spatial object. The south-west and north-east façades are clad with full floor height windows, that opens back to the slope with an outdoor terrace, making the space float between inside and outside, still maintaining a sense of privacy being above street level in the front and using the slope in the back to minimize sight inside.
The top floor is generously adapted to four bedrooms with full ceiling height, exposing the form of the pitched roof and giving the stairwell a great sense of volume and light. The variation on windows and openings between the floors adds a playfulness and distinct contrast between the more public and private areas of a house, allowing both intimate and social spaces.
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