Selestranda House designed by bark arkitekter, At Sele, on the southwest coast of Norway, a fifty-year-old cottage by architect Atle Sørby needed a total renovation and reorganization. It was essential to recreate the cabin with a modernized standard, and balancing this need with a respectful approach towards the original architecture.
Photography: Lise Bjelland
Built in ’61, the architecture contains a symbiosis of elements referencing modernist and local architecture. The main volume’s pitched roof with pulled down gables is a reinterpretation of the traditional «Jærhus», a housing typology typical for the region, adapted through centuries to withstand harsh local weather conditions.
Photography: Lise Bjelland Two volumes make up the cottage. The new annex contains a bedroom, a bathroom, and a storage room while the main volume now only consists of one large common room, with a shared kitchen, eating and living area.

The surrounding landscape is relatively flat, consisting of long sloping fields, dunes, and beaches, only separated by narrow roads and old drystone walls. Because it is situated in a landscape-preservation area, close to the shoreline, the local government paid close attention to the building process.
Plan
Local craftsmen carried out every part of the operation, which required substantial tailored solutions. The roof tiles, coming from local brick-factories in Sandnes, were carefully taken down, stored and put up again, ...