rever & drage completes a fjord-side cabin in western norway

cabin ulvik by rever & drage

oslo-based architects rever & drage combine farmhouse and barn typologies for this 142 sqm cabin in ulvik, norway. the dwelling is set on a steep slope with a fjord on one side and a forest on the other. during the months of autumn, the cabin’s timber skin blends in with the golden leaves on the trees.

rever & drage describes the project as ‘a homage to country-road architecture’. they found inspiration from the works of swiss architect rudolf olgiati as well as the romantic nationalism paintings of norwegian painter hans gude.

images by tom auger

cabin ulvik has a flipped program, with the social spaces on the upper floor and the main bedroom accommodation on the lower level. there’s also a small annex building at the end of the access road. the interiors are characterized by light-colored wood and views out across the fjord.

from the outside, the building settles into the landscape not only by its timber cladding but also by long stone walls, which are a typical feature of the area to protect from rain and prevailing winds. a slanted beam also extends into the ground like an arm, giving the cabin additional support. this element doubles as drainage as it holds the rainwater pipe from the roof.

the glazed entrance with a concrete arch

the balance between farmhouse and barn is expressed in the elevational treatment: from the color of the timber cladding to façade elements. the architects explain, ‘as a complex, the cabin together with its annex has the composition of a traditional small-scale farm linked by the access road. being pinky-yellow, the cabin merges between the traditional house on such a farm, normally painted white, and the barn, normally painted a warm red.’

‘cabins as such, being introduced to this area in the middle of the 20th-century as recreation for the upper-middle class, were meant to function somewhere between the comfort of a house, and the roughness of a barn. this intermediate state can also be traced in the façade composition of this building with some features commonly found in barns and others commonly found in houses.’

the fjord-facing elevation features a concrete arch behind the glazed entrance, which subtly nods to the slanted beam outside. a part of the main façade also extends above the eaves to create a parapet, signaling the entrance and making this farmhouse-cum-barn feel entirely contemporary.

the interiors are characterized by light-colored wood