The narrow site of the townhouse by Elding Oscarson is sandwiched between old buildings in Landskrona, Sweden. The lot is barely 5 meters wide with a tiny area of 75 square meters, facing a street but also a colorful hidden world inside the city block. Architects wanted keep a strong presence of this small-scale, motley, naturally worn place in the completed project – a feeling of almost being outdoor.
After careful study of the site dimensions through physical models, architects reached the conclusion that the site was so small that a rectilinear approach would enrich the street with a novel feature, a syncopation of its rhythm, while staying sensitive to the environment. They wanted to create a sharp contrast; to express inherent clarity, but more importantly to highlight the beauty of the surroundings.
The clients want to use the house as a private gallery, so they need walls for art, not for privacy. Architects made a single space, softly partitioned by thin exposed steel slabs. These span the entire width of the house and divide its program – kitchen, dining, living, library, bed, bath, and a roof terrace. A home office is located in a separate building across a small garden. Mechanical and service spaces fit next to the entrance. Gross area is 125 square meters.
This simple system creates an array of different spatial experiences in this very small project. It aims at a non-minimalistic and lively sequence of confined and airy spaces, niches, interiors and exteriors, horizontal and vertical views as well as carefully framed views of the site.
The continuous interior space is opening up to the street, to the middle of the block, and to the sky above. This openness to all directions generates a building volume that is both monolithic and transparent. All facades are treated equally, exposing the interior and offering views through the building with similar apertures whether on the front, back or sides.
Energy consumption 57% lower than the regulation was reached through the use of an air-source heat pump and a ventilation system with heat recovery, wall construction of LECA sandwich blocks with integrated EPS insulation, and a sedum roof delaying temperature fluctuations between day and night.
Images courtesy of Åke E:son Lindman
Discover: www.eldingoscarson.com
