fabel arkitektur is located in a hoghult house on top of a scenic hill in sweden
a couple of cottages on a hill
The Swedish studio Fabel Arkitektur has set up its Höghultshus on Karlsborg’s sloping landscape. The architecture takes the form of a couple of log cabins that mark the top of the steep hill surrounded by farmland and distant views of a forest and lake outside.
While the two structures are equal in size, one is defined by its inward-facing, closed design and the other is built with an open timber frame to let in sunlight and look outwards towards the natural surroundings. The more enclosed cottage houses the sauna, shower and bedroom while the open cottage has a large open living area leading to a patio.
pictures © Mikael Olsson | @mikaelolsson_
Fable architecture pays homage to the endless landscape
In the early design stages of its Hoghult house, team at Fabel Arkitektur sought an architecture that was both restrained and magnificent at the same time, and praised the landscape. The architects write:Simplicity and clarity have been key words throughout the process. Both parts of the building are made entirely of wood, with old wooden techniques that do not use any nails or screws. ‘
While the entire structure is built of wood, the team intended that all other materials should be clean, honest and easy to interpret. For example, the shower is finished with ‘tadelakt’ – a waterproof surface of limestone and plaster – while the protective barrier between the fireplace and the timber wall provides a dark and shiny contrast to the wooden logs.
Hoghulthuset’s design
Fabel Arkitektur’s Hoghult building is built with traditional techniques that are interpreted in a new way. It may look simple but is surprisingly advanced in the details, the glass in the frame part is for example mounted in a completely new way that the carpenter invented together.
The design team explains: ‘The construction can not be done by a carpenter, it requires a lot of experience and special knowledge, but at the same time it is very simple and possible to maintain if parts of the wood are damaged over time, it is very easy to replace that part with a similar one. Or why not move the entire building in two hundred years?