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SKÅPET

KOKO architects

Micro-dwellings to experience the Norwegian landscape.


A pristine Norwegian landscape is a beautiful place to experience. Located along the Rogaland hiking trail in north-western Norway, not far from the city of Stavanger, SKÅPET is a low-impact complex of modern weather-proof lodges designed right for this purpose by KOKO Architects.

The local trekking association counts 25.000 members and has 35 self-catering mountain lodges in the area. Since the lodges are usually distant from roads and traffic and difficult to get to, each visitor has to take care of the needs of visitors coming after him. Everyone replenishes food supplies, brings firewood and cleans the lodge before leaving. In 2013, given the relevance of trekking activities, the Norwegian Tourism Association organized an architectural competition to construct further self-catering mountain lodges for the hiking trail around Lysefjord and on the rocky shores of the Soddatjørn Mountain Lake. The competition criteria stipulated that the lodges be contemporary, easy to maintain and use ready-made factory modules in order to avoid long construction periods in the inaccessible mountains and unpredictable weather conditions.

In the solution proposed by KOKO architects, the group of buildings includes a main building, sleeping cabins, a toilet with a storage room and a sauna. Water can be taken from the lake, there is no main electricity supply, and rooms are heated using wood. There are two gas stoves in the kitchen that visitors can use at the same time and a solar panel provides lighting. Hikers can wash themselves in the sauna where the washing room is located directly above a mountain stream. The exterior finishes on the lodges is rolled zinc, which resists the wind and snow and does not require maintenance for decades. The interiors employ a lot of wood, for a warm atmosphere. All of the buildings have a glass wall with panoramic views of the surrounding picturesque landscape. The main building with its rectangular plan and kitchen, living area and sleeping facilities can accommodate thirty to thirty five trekkers. The smaller lodges can accommodate five. The rooms in the main building are arranged to encourage interaction between different trekking parties.

Credits

Mentioned project: SKÅPET (2013-2016)
Project location: Soddatjørn, Norway

Norway 2016
Duration: 2'20''