House of Many Courtyards, Swedish Architecture Images, Scandinavian Beach House, Sweden
House of Many Courtyards in Sweden
22 Jan 2021
House of Many Courtyards
Architects: Claesson Koivisto Rune
Location: Sweden

Claesson Koivisto Rune slice and dislocate to ?double? the box in beach house project

The House of Many Courtyards is hidden just on the tree-line, behind a sandy ocean beach, the topography of the plot is characterised by soft undulation as it is formed by sand dunes conquered by vegetation. Stairs and levelled terraces were necessary for the approach to a house that would touch this nature lightly.

The building allowance was a mere 170 sqm but the wish was for a 340 sqm house. How to double the area while still adhering to the regulations" Besides the size of the house, another requirement in the brief was for maximum privacy while maintaining contact with the beach and the horizon. Or, in other words, great views from inside but little visibility from outside. And the house itself should blend in with its setting as best as possible.

The solution came with an imaginary slicing up of an elongated box and dislocating of the parts in alternating, parallel order. Thus, ending up with a number of outwardly open courtyard terraces ? one in each gap. In principle, like the camshaft in a multiple-piston engine. In the façade, each protruding box is a closed wall while full glazing is used inside the courtyards ? sometimes at their deep end, sometimes sideways ...