Atalier Lapidus was conceived as a summer house for a writer and his family. The design process began with vignettes – a small structure placed in a forest, open faςades disintegrating the boundary between interior and exterior place, a pool as a lake, a writing desk facing the evening sun. The decision to create a clear and minimal structure allowed the life inside the building to be unobstructed and unfettered.

Photo: Mikael Olsson. (click on the image to view the photo gallery)

Following the topography of the site, a concrete base was cast atop the bedrock. Nine 6 m tall, 7 x 7 cm steel columns were attached to the base. The faςade – constructed of prefabricated massive wooden boards – stabilized the structure along with the upper floor slab. Windows encircle the upper and lower levels and a thin sloped roof encloses the structure.

Photo: Mikael Olsson. (click on the image to view the photo gallery)

The program is separated between private and public needs. The ground floor supports living without internal hierarchy. The upper floor accommodates the bedrooms and spaces for privacy. Materiality also reiterates the separation of functions – the ground floor is open and vast, using raw, uncovered materials, while the upper floor is dense and private, in wood for a sense of intimacy. The minimal structural system allows the house to become personifed by the clients – in complexity and freedom.

Photo: Mikael Olsson. (click on the image to view the photo gallery)