burnt timber composes barn villa by nord architects in copenhagen

Villa Wood’s design combines digital and traditional methods

Creative studio NORD Architects builds ‘Villa Wood’, a private residence standing in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Following an eco-friendly design approach applying mass-timber elements (CLT) throughout the construction and utilizing digital programming the plan forms a modern archetypic house resembling the traditional barn architecture of the region. The structure is developed as a sustainable building aiming for a low climate footprint and optimizing indoor life quality.

‘With CLT elements in mass-timber, we can create and customize houses in countless variations and thus meet a lot of different ways of living, with a healthy indoor environment as a common denominator for all. We experience that living in this environment has a valuable effect on our everyday lives. Apart from the nice atmosphere that surrounds us, we also experience fewer allergies’, comments Morten Rask Gregersen, partner, and architect at NORD Architects. The customization of the design can match a diverse range of life patterns, while the wood elements can be cut and configured in many constellations with numerous deviations in size, space, function, and connections between rooms.

all images by Adam Mørk

all structural elements of the residence can be disassembled

The house is based on 3D detailing and digital production methods that make way for several types of detached single-family dwellings and can be scaled for larger housing units as well. The method provides efficient design management, while individual co-creation and cooperations lead to the development of typologies and the adaptation of the structure according to the users’ needs. Opting for a sustainable design and living approach, the creative team at NORD Architects attends to the future potential of material reuse planning ‘Villa Wood’s’ ability for disassembly. The architecture incorporates recognizable archetypical characteristics through a digital production scheme avoiding any loss in quality.

the design forms a modern archetypic house resembling the traditional barn architecture

Japanese charring method protects the exterior construction

In contrast to the charred pine cladding of the exterior, the internal arrangement sets up elements treated with lye to form a bright and natural texture and color palette. The outdoor surfaces undergo a traditional Japanese charring method for the protection of wooden constructions. The exterior cladding sharpens the profile and geometry of the volume as a detached house. The solid wood elements can be assembled in a few days, leading to lower construction costs on site and reducing the weather impact compared to an exposed and open construction. The compact and stable wood element, the easy assembly, the low material waste, and the light weight of the structure reinforce the advantages of sustainable design.

NORD Architects attends to the future potential of material reuse planning the villa’s ability for disassembly