Anadu Pine Villa is situated in a secluded valley a two-hour drive from Shanghai, China, enveloped by pine forests and shielded by a mountain draped in bamboo. This boutique resort by Studio8 Architects comprises three elegantly designed guest suites, complemented by a refined wine and cigar bar. In line with Anadu’s philosophy of ‘Find yourself in nature,’ the practice’s objective — from planning to architectural design — was to showcase and harmonize with the unique beauty of the forests.

The buildings are thoughtfully positioned along the valley’s contours, each oriented to capture unique views. At the entrance, a bamboo-textured, concrete and charred black wood L-shaped gate harmoniously merges with the landscape, welcoming guests with open arms while embracing the greenery on one side.

Anadu Pine Villa is enveloped by pine forests and shielded by a mountain draped in bamboo

studio8 architects’ design echoes the old structure’s character

Originally, an abandoned old house stood where Anadu Pine Villa’s wine house now sits. To honor the site’s history, Shanghai-based Studio8 Architects’ new building echoes the old structure’s gabled roof, redesigned into a four-sloped form that creates a harmonious, tranquil scale from every angle. In pleasant weather, glass doors can be fully opened to integrate the plaza into the indoor space. The walls are entirely glass, maximizing the views, while the northeast dining area faces a quieter hillside, and the semi-enclosed lounge provides a more private atmosphere.

A curved bamboo-textured wall leads guests from the wine house to the guest area, where the hard ground transitions into soft gravel paths, evoking a vacation atmosphere. At the path’s end, a small plaza provides a moment of pause before entering the guest area, enhancing the sense of seclusion. The three minimal standalone structures sit quietly in the valley, surrounded by the forest. Facing staggered walls that obscure the rear of the space, guests are invited to imagine what lies beyond.

two concrete slabs face the valley with no obstructions

the concrete villas frame views of the valley

As guests walk through the courtyard and winding paths, they experience a series of mysterious moments before reaching the guest rooms. Upon entering, the view dramatically opens up — two concrete slabs face the valley with no obstructions. The interior flows seamlessly with 270-degree panoramic views, offering a fully immersive experience. The rooms are embraced by nature on three sides, each framing its own unique view. To keep the structure minimal, Studio8 Architects cast the buildings from exposed concrete with integrated beams and embedded piping, ensuring no visible ceiling beams, lighting fixtures, or suspended structures. The clean concrete slabs unify the space. The floor slab floats above the valley, respecting and connecting with the terrain, while appearing to hover above it.

Through the glass doors, each room opens onto a private backyard in the pine forest — a floating outdoor deck, offering a further connection to the valley. The eaves extend into a shaded area, blending the indoors with nature. Further, the landscape design softens the boundaries between the estate and its surroundings, using native valley plants to integrate seamlessly into the environment. Discreet lighting, resembling fireflies, dots the pathways and grounds, enhancing the serene, secluded atmosphere.

the boutique resort comprises three elegantly designed guest suites, complemented by a refined wine and cigar bar

Much of the woodwork is crafted from reclaimed wood sourced from local markets, with 80% of the pieces handcrafted by skilled artisans. This repurposed wood is meticulously shaped to harmonize with the scale and spirit of its surroundings, subtly enhancing the preservation and continuation of local craftsmanship. The estate’s design balances privacy with openness, providing a joyful and surprising spatial experience. With just one valley and three exclusive retreats, whether for a gathering with friends or a solo escape, the serene power of the pine forest and the architectural simplicity create a harmonious connection. The buildings quietly retreat into the landscape, offering a peaceful, secluded getaway.

to honor the site’s history, the new building echoes the old structure’s elements

Studio8 Architects thoughtfully positions each building along the valley’s contours

much of the woodwork is crafted from reclaimed wood sourced from local markets

the interior flows seamlessly with 270-degree panoramic views, offering a fully immersive experience

through the glass doors, each room opens onto a private backyard in the pine forest

the estate’s design balances privacy with openness

discreet lighting, resembling fireflies, dots the pathways and grounds, enhancing the secluded atmosphere

situated in a secluded valley a two-hour drive from Shanghai, China

project info:

name: Anadu Pine Villa
architect: Studio8 Architects | @studio8.architects

location: China

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

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Athita Pool Villa and Spa, designed by Studio Miti, draws upon vernacular Thai architectural principles to inform its layout and material choices. Located in Chiang Saen, a historic town along the Mekong River, the project adopts traditional design language to integrate with its surrounding context while maintaining a clear programmatic organization. The architectural layout references the organic structure of local settlements, particularly the irregular yet navigable street patterns of Chiang Saen. This approach is applied to the hotel’s internal circulation, where pathways echo the community’s meandering alleys, enhancing spatial continuity without imposing symmetry. The arrangement intentionally avoids strict formalism, instead favoring a system that supports spatial layering and calm movement throughout the site.

The design is divided into two main architectural typologies: brick volumes and timber-clad structures. The brick volumes, placed at the front of the site, house public functions including the spa and massage facilities. These elements act as a buffer between the street and the more private pool villas located deeper within the property. The use of brick references ancient city walls and religious structures found throughout the region. These walls also provide visual and acoustic insulation, contributing to the retreat-like character of the site.

all images by Pirak Anurakyawachon – Spaceshift Studio

Brick and timber construct Athita Pool Villa and Spa

The private villas are enclosed by vertical timber louver panels, an adaptation of traditional Chiang Saen house facades. These panels enable controlled privacy while allowing filtered light and ventilation. The semi-open character of the villas supports a connection to the exterior environment, offering views of the sky and maintaining a quiet atmosphere. Both brick and timber elements are constructed using updated methods, allowing traditional materials to be expressed through a contemporary architectural lens. Rather than replicating historical styles, Studio Miti’s design team employs these elements as frameworks for reinterpretation, aligning the building with its historical and cultural setting while maintaining functional clarity.

Athita Pool Villa and Spa extends the architectural direction of ‘Athita: The Hidden Court Chiang Saen Boutique Hotel’ and continues its emphasis on spatial calm and contextual relevance. The project situates new construction within a landscape of continuity, reinforcing material familiarity and formal restraint.

brick volumes mark the public-facing edge of Athita Pool Villa and Spa

brick walls evoke the region’s ancient religious structures

circulation paths mimic the meandering alleys of local settlements

vertical wooden panels reinterpret traditional house facades

public areas are positioned as a buffer along the site’s front edge

villas are oriented to maintain visual and acoustic privacy

the spa and massage areas occupy the site’s brick volumes

materials reflect the character of Chiang Saen’s built heritage

the design references the organic street patterns of Chiang Saen

vernacular Thai architectural forms inform the building’s spatial logic

project info:

name: Athita pool villa and spa

architect: Studio Miti | @studiomiti_official

location: Chiang Saen, Thailand

lead architect: Mr. Padirmkiat Sukkan

design team: Mr. Thanwa Chantarasena, Ms. Suchanat Konggamnert, Mr. Thanai Mahakaew

interior team: Ms. Narinrat Chaichat, Ms. Praphavaree Khongchum

structural engineer: Mr. Chiwat Kaewkam, Mr. Phitsanu Bumroong

electrical engineer: Mr. Wutthikrai Srisukho

sanitary engineer: Ms. Siriluk Konkaew
photographer: Pirak Anurakyawachon – Spaceshift Studio | @spaceshiftstudio

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Heimat Architects (previously Atelier Heimat) unveils Under the Same Eaves, a demountable timber pavilion designed for the 2025 Aranya Theatre Festival in Qinhuangdao, China. Completed in just 14 days — 7 days for design and 7 for construction — the project serves as the festival’s main baijiu tasting station and a key node in Migratory Birds 300, a 300-hour continuous art experiment on the beach. Both intimate and open, the pavilion becomes a social anchor amid a landscape of ephemeral installations, celebrating fleeting encounters through architecture built to vanish.

bird’s eye view of the site | all images © Lv Xiaobin, unless stated otherwise

HEIMAT ARCHITECTS CREATES TIMBER COURTYARD OF SHARED MOMENTS

Situated in the Sand City zone of the festival, Under the Same Eaves by Heimat Architects forms a quiet courtyard composed of three tasting corridors and a compact bar unit. Each corridor is made of modular timber platforms arranged under repeating eaves that suggest both rhythm and rest. Through this design, the architecture team encourages spontaneous social interaction, offering visitors a variety of ways to sit, recline, or simply linger — all under a canopy that frames the sea breeze and passing conversations.

More than just a tasting station, the pavilion acts as a spatial ritual for enjoying baijiu, China’s traditional spirit. The architecture invites visitors to move slowly: entering low eaves, stooping gently, then emerging into a central space of light and laughter. Its sculpted sections offer moments of openness for mingling and pockets of seclusion for reflection.

Under the Same Eaves: a demountable timber pavilion for the 2025 Aranya Theatre Festival

MODULAR DESIGN ENABLES ZERO-WASTE CONSTRUCTION

Simplicity and sustainability guided every decision. The entire structure uses just two sizes of locally sourced timber in a modular ‘sandwich truss’ system. These repeating units offered both structural strength and rapid assembly. The pavilion’s hipped roof shelters a service bar and storage space, while waterproof polyester fabric wraps the timber eaves, providing light shelter and visual softness against the coastal backdrop.

Part of the Migratory Birds 300 series, Heimat Architects’ pavilion is built with impermanence in mind. Like the performance art it accompanies, the structure is made to be disassembled, reused, and ultimately disappear — a poetic parallel to the transient nature of festival encounters. As the designers return ‘like migratory birds’ each year, the act of building becomes both a rehearsal and a ritual: a meditation on time, place, and the emotional weight of temporary space.

the pavilion forms a quiet courtyard composed of three corridors

each corridor is made of modular timber platforms

the entire structure uses just two sizes of locally sourced timber

waterproof polyester fabric wraps the timber eaves | image © Bai Rubing

the structure is made to be disassembled, reused, and ultimately disappear

the design offers pockets of seclusion for reflection

the pavilion is both intimate and open | image © Liu Guowei

Under the Same Eaves becomes a social anchor amid a landscape of ephemeral installations | image © Bai Rubing

the architecture team encourages spontaneous social interaction | image © Bai Rubing

project info:

name: Under the Same Eaves
architects: Heimat Architects
design team: Zhang Dong Guang, Liu Wenjuan, Ma Tianyang, Zhang Wenjing
site support: Sun Zhiwei
construction team: Yan Chuanwei, Yan Xuli, et al. Curators: Liu Chang, Zhu Sha

location: Qinhuangdao, China 
client: GUOJIAO 1573, Aranya Theatre Festival 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

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Along the western edge of Slovenia’s Lake Bled, OFIS Architects revitalizes Boathouse Zaka, a 25.5-square-meter timber-clad structure. While its humble exterior reflects the vernacular scale and materiality of alpine lakeside buildings, the project introduces an experimental rooftop filtration garden, turning the boathouse into both a scientific facility and an educational device. 

A series of wooden trays sits atop the pitched roof, filled with layers of stone, gravel, sand, and soil, and planted with native alpine flower species. Lake water is pumped through this substrate, slowly filtering as it irrigates the vegetation, mimicking natural water purification processes. The filtration beds on the roof are part of a scientific experiment and a didactic tool. In this way, the roof becomes a public-facing interface of ecological care, visibly performing the environmental purpose of the building. 

all images by Miran Kambic

boathouse zaka adopts a skin that breathes in slovenia

Ljubljana-based OFIS Architects focuses on revitalization through reuse, dismantling, and restoring the original timber frame and cladding. This restoration preserves the proportions and spatial rhythm of the existing structure while grounding it in local craft traditions. The original facade is reinstalled as a series of rotated and offset wooden planks, creating a skin that breathes. This semi-transparent cladding filters light, air, and views, allowing the structure to become ‘a filter rather than a wall,’ as the team notes.

Boathouse Zaka stores two research boats used for environmental monitoring of Lake Bled, whose crystal-clear and heavily visited waters require continuous observation. Material interventions, such as replacing cold cement tiles with natural wooden flooring, improve internal comfort for researchers and maintain the structure’s coherence with its timber envelope. 

As climate pressures and tourism intensify around Lake Bled, the project suggests that future-forward architecture may not require elaborate forms but regenerative gestures that restore, teach, and protect. 

OFIS Architects revitalizes Boathouse Zaka

a 25.5-square-meter timber-clad structure

a series of wooden trays sits atop the pitched roof

lake water is pumped through this substrate

located along the western edge of Slovenia’s Lake Bled

the original facade is reinstalled as a series of rotated and offset wooden planks

a skin that breathes

Boathouse Zaka stores two research boats used for environmental monitoring of Lake Bled

OFIS Architects focuses on revitalization through reuse

the trays are filled with layers of stone, gravel, sand, and soil, and planted with native alpine flower species

project info:

name: Boathouse Zaka

architect: OFIS Architects | @ofis_architects

location: Lake Bled, Slovenia

site area: 47 square meters

built area: 25.5 square meters

client: Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia

design team: Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Janez Martinčič, Rok Dolinšek, Amadej Mravlak, Vladyslav Bondarenko, Adrien Riviere

technical team: Mizarstvo Ovsenik d.o.o.

contractors: Mizarstvo Ovsenik d.o.o.

landscape technology: MT Cvek d.o.o.

photographer: Miran Kambic | @mirankambic

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The Molten Chair is a flat-pack seating design that explores user interaction and material responsiveness. Created by Isabel Vera Cornejo, an industrial design student at Parsons and originally from Mexico City, the project focuses on the relationship between the user and the object through physical engagement.

The design allows the chair to visually and physically adapt as someone sits, giving the impression that the wooden structure melts around the body. This interaction highlights both movement and material behavior as key aspects of the chair’s design language.

all images courtesy of Isabel Vera Cornejo

Isabel Vera Cornejo crafts Molten Chair from cherry hardwood

Addressing urban living conditions such as limited storage space, particularly relevant in cities like New York, the chair was developed as a flat-pack product for ease of storage and transport. Designer Isabel Vera Cornejo prioritized durability and quality throughout the production process.

The Molten Chair is constructed from cherry hardwood, with its components produced through CNC machining and assembled using traditional handmade joinery techniques. This combination of digital fabrication and manual craftsmanship supports both precision and material integrity. The resulting form introduces a dynamic seating experience within a compact and functional framework.

Molten Chair explores user interaction through adaptable design

material responsiveness shapes both form and function

the chair’s structure appears to melt around the seated body

movement and material behavior define the chair’s design language

made from cherry hardwood for strength and visual warmth

components can be disassembled for easy transport and storage

the chair offers a tactile and spatially efficient seating experience

project info:

name: Molten Chair
designer: Isabel Vera Cornejo

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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A sweeping timber ring — the largest of its kind in the world — encircles the Expo 2025 Osaka site on Yumeshima Island, Japan, anchoring the world fair. Conceived by Sou Fujimoto, the Grand Ring serves as the Expo’s circulatory core and forms a new landmark on the island, connecting national pavilions, performance venues, and public spaces beneath an expansive wooden canopy that doubles as a skywalk. A new series of photographs by William Mulvihill captures the complete structure in striking detail, highlighting its scale, construction, lightness, atmosphere, and material elegance. Following the photographer’s visual journey capturing the Expo’s national pavilions, this new series documents the monumental structure’s vast footprint while highlighting the intricacy of its lattice of timber beams.

all images by William Mulvihill

sou fujimoto’s monumental timber ring anchors the expo

Spanning over 60,000 square meters and stretching 2 kilometers in circumference, the Grand Ring is now the largest timber structure in the world. It rises between 12 and 22 meters in height and is made from a combination of local Japanese sugi cedar, hinoki cypress, and Scots pine glulam, joined using traditional Japanese nuki joinery techniques. Built in collaboration with Tohata Architects & Engineers and Azusa Sekkei, the project exemplifies expressions of heritage craftsmanship merged with contemporary structural engineering, designed to resist earthquakes while maintaining a delicate and open character for its life during the Expo and beyond.

Fujimoto has described the ring as ‘a symbol of our times,’ shaping it as a circular space that promotes collective experience alongside ecological sensitivity. The structure shelters visitors from sun and rain below, while a continuous elevated deck above provides panoramic views of the Expo site and Osaka Bay.

William Mulvihill captures the pavilions of Expo 2025 Osaka

Sou Fujimoto’s Grand Ring becomes the protagonist of the series

the structure serves as the Expo’s circulatory core and forms a new landmark on the island

highlighting scale, construction, lightness, atmosphere, and material elegance

the Grand Ring is now the largest timber structure in the world

joined using traditional Japanese nuki joinery techniques

Fujimoto has described the ring as ‘a symbol of our times’

the project exemplifies expressions of heritage craftsmanship merged with contemporary structural engineering

atop it’s an expansive wooden canopy that doubles as a skywalk

the continuous elevated deck above provides panoramic views of the Expo site

designed to resist earthquakes

a circular space that promotes collective experience alongside ecological sensitivity

the series documents the monumental structure’s vast footprint

project info:

name: Grand Ring

architect: Sou Fujimoto | @sou_fujimoto

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Sati, designed by Cheer Manlekha as part of the MA Industrial Design program at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, is a handcrafted wooden chair made from a fallen street tree in Brent, London. The project explores themes of presence, impermanence, and material life cycles through an everyday object.

The term ‘Sati’ derives from the Thai language, meaning ‘to remember,’ ‘to recollect,’ or ‘to bear in mind.’ The design draws influence from Zen meditation practices, particularly the concept of ‘just sitting’ without specific objective or outcome. ‘The project, beyond a chair, is also a profoundly personal exploration on existentialism, fears of death, and the process of letting go of things which lie beyond our control. It is a record of a fragment of time spent here in this life and a pursuit to come to terms with death through a design object carefully hand-crafted by natural elements as a contemplative means to reflect the smallness of human existence within the vast, continuous cycle of life in the simplest form of a mundane everyday object; a chair,’ shares the designer.

all images courtesy of Cheer Manlekha

a flat back and curved front base characterize Sati timber chair

Structurally, Sati is a non-traditional rocking chair characterized by its flat back and a curved front base. This configuration requires the user to engage their legs for balance and stabilization, encouraging physical awareness and grounding in the present moment, leaving all unnecessary scattered thoughts behind. The chair’s deliberate unevenness invites active participation from the user, fostering bodily engagement rather than passive sitting.

Materiality plays an important role in the project narrative by designer Cheer Manlekha. By using timber from a naturally fallen tree in Brent, London, the design foregrounds memories of the time spent on Earth and a message that something once dead can find a new purpose again. Like any living being, the chair ages over time, gaining scars and marks that reflect a life lived, lessons learned, and the beauty of being alive. This approach reflects an acceptance of natural aging processes, both in materials and in human life, normalizing death as an inseparable part of life that all beings must one day come to face with. The design process of ‘Sati’ reflects an interest in existential themes, with the chair acting as a tool for contemplation and reflection on temporality. Its form and balance encourage moments of stillness, aligning with the broader objective of fostering awareness of one’s body and surroundings. 

the chair draws influence from Zen meditation practices, encouraging moments of stillness and awareness

the form of the armrest and the backrest mimics the organic sprouting of plants from the ground

a flat back and a curved front base define the chair’s non-traditional rocking form

the structural configuration encourages users to engage their legs for balance and stability

raw wood parts as a reminder that the chair is crafted from a living thing that once stood, grew, and fell

visible imperfections reflect the chair’s origins and its previous life as part of an urban tree

the structural configuration encourages users to engage their legs for balance and stability

the project uses a single everyday object—the chair, to frame themes of temporality and letting go

natural material aging is integrated into the design intent, embracing impermanence

Sati acts as both a functional object and a contemplative tool for spatial and existential reflection

project info:

name: Sati: A Chair of Existentialism and Fears of Death
designer: Cheer Manlekha

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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The Ridge, a timber prototype by Olivier Ottevaere and University of Hong Kong students, explores how the natural environment and its physical forces can invigorate the interior living through its dynamic roof design. Sited in the high mountains of rural Yunnan, China, the project makes full use of its sloped terrain and expansive vistas to delineate a varied timber structure mainly comprising eleven evolving trusses. The house spans one to three levels, with the roofscape’s gradual transformation most dramatically expressed through the pronounced ceiling plane experienced from within. The design is carefully tuned to its cardinal orientations. Each facade differs in shape and size to capture the unique natural sunlight specific to its direction, energizing the interior spaces, living areas below, and sleeping quarters above, throughout the day’s progression.

all images courtesy of The University of Hong Kong

Ridge doubles as a farmhouse and a community gathering space

Beyond its residential function, the farmhouse also serves as a community center where local villagers gather socially and, as seasons go by, deliberate on crop selections, farming distribution to enhance their collective agricultural production, and local economy. The Ridge project originated as an educational program in design and construction, led by designer Olivier Ottevaere. The taught hands-on course exposes students to the physical act of making architecture through on-site construction experience at a scale impossible in the classroom, one that they can inhabit while building. Working alongside local carpenters and construction workers, students embark on a building journey that addresses a real site, a critical program, and a unique local culture through knowledge exchange and experiential learning.

roofline opens up to the expansive landscape while providing shade to the outdoor terrace

a dynamic roofscape defines the building’s spatial character

the house spans between one and three levels across sloped terrain

each facade is tuned to capture light from a different direction

timber prototype ‘The Ridge’ sits in the high mountains of rural Yunnan, China

The Ridge doubles as a farmhouse and a community gathering space

eleven evolving timber trusses form the structure’s core

interior ceilings reveal the roof’s gradual transformation

local villagers use the space to plan agricultural activities

‘The Ridge’ project blends architectural learning with cultural exchange

sunlight animates the living spaces throughout the day

sleeping quarters are positioned above, oriented for light and view

the bedroom mezzanine opens towards the double-height living space

students gained hands-on experience in full-scale construction

the team collaborated closely with local carpenters and builders

project info:

name: The Ridge – Roofing in Motion.
architects: Olivier Ottevaere – The University of Hong Kong, the Human Intelligence Master program of Architecture, HKU | @hkuarchitecture

local contractor: Chengdu Xingcun Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. (成都行村建筑工程有限公司)

area: 240 sqm

location: Yiliang, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China

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A new holiday home designed by Office Inainn occupies a steep fjord landscape of Valldal, Norway. The 127-square-meter house is situated high above the waterline and built without leveling the terrain, allowing its form to emerge through close observation of the site.

The project’s approach is defined by its refusal to flatten or clear the land. Instead, a pair of subtly offset volumes follows the natural incline, stepping down with the hillside and creating spatial variation through section rather than partition. A concrete plinth raises the structure above the rocky ground, providing both stability and separation while leaving the landscape intact.

Each timber-clad volume plays a specific role. A taller, narrow structure contains the entry sequence and a corridor lit from above, while the adjoining lower volume houses the living spaces and bedrooms, cantilevered outward to frame the fjord below. 

images © ONI studio

office inainn’s Procession of Light and Views

Arrival at the house by Office Inainn begins along a narrow footpath hemmed by the rocky site and the holiday home’s timber facade. This experience extends inside, where the corridor becomes an interior continuation of the architects‘ compression of the vast site. Clerestory glazing and polished concrete floors lead visitors through a series of intimate spaces before the full fjord panorama is revealed at the living room.

Framed views are a central element. Each room engages the terrain differently — some take in the steep forested slopes, others the open water. Glazing is expansive yet recessed, preserving privacy and minimizing visual noise while capturing the scale and movement of the landscape.

a holiday home by Office Inainn is set high above a fjord in Valldal, Norway

norwegian materials and furnishings

Office Inainn defines the holiday home’s material palette by restraint and locality. Dark timber cladding wraps both volumes, allowing the house to recede into its context, particularly under changing light. Inside, wood floors, muted olive walls, and cabinetry by Limstrand create a warm, quiet atmosphere. Furnishings by Fjordfiesta echo the same principles of minimalism and regionally sources.

Window frames are painted dark and matched with top-hung curtains that extend the verticality of the openings. Across the interior, detailing remains tight and precise. Where contrast exists, it is gentle, used to draw out depth rather than distinction.

The project was developed in close collaboration with a client who maintains longstanding ties to Valldal. Their brief, to let nature lead, was not treated as metaphor but as instruction. In practice, this meant holding back where possible, patiently calibrating the architecture through subtraction and alignment.

the house is designed with minimal alterations of the rocky slope below

two offset volumes follow the natural incline of the hillside

the client requested that nature lead every design decision

living spaces are cantilevered above the terrain to frame the fjord

dark timber cladding helps the home recede into the environment

materials were sourced locally and chosen for their quiet character

project info:

name: 18-07 Holiday Home

architect: Office Inainn | @inainn.eu

location: Valldal, Norway

area: 127 square-meters

completion: April 2025

photography: © ONI studio | @onistories

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The Vollerup House, designed by Høyer Arkitektur, takes shape in northwestern Zealand, Denmark, about ninety minutes north of Copenhagen. Conceived as a summer retreat, the house is carefully set within a wooded site where fields meet forest, just inland from the windswept coastline. The timber building sits low against a backdrop of birch and pine, its elongated, single-story form offering a calm horizontal counterpoint to the upright trees. Høyer Arkitektur uses this orientation to create both spatial intimacy and visual clarity, shielding nearby cottages from view and framing a quiet forest clearing.

The design takes advantage of the site’s dual character. While the north facade is restrained and mostly closed to maintain privacy from the more public areas, the south facade opens generously to the woods. Floor-to-ceiling glazing along this southern elevation draws in filtered daylight and allows the interior to remain visually and atmospherically tethered to the forest beyond.

images © Hampus Berndtson

høyer arkitektur’s vollerup house Treads Lightly

The design team at Høyer Arkitektur plans the Vollerup House with a linear arrangement, with all living spaces aligned along the southern face. Movement through the house parallels the rhythm of the trees outside, reinforcing a constant connection to the changing light and seasonal shifts in the landscape. From inside, the distinction between interior and exterior softens; the forest becomes a living backdrop to daily life.

Materially and structurally, the home echoes the region’s vernacular buildings. Its construction draws on the traditional longhouse form and the presence of timber barns scattered through rural Zealand. A rhythm of glulam beams defines the primary grid, elevated on cast-point foundations to preserve the forest floor and minimize ecological disruption.

The lightness of the structural solution lends the house a kind of stillness in the landscape. By lifting the volume slightly and anchoring it with minimal intervention, Høyer Arkitektur reinforces a sense of respect for the natural setting. From certain angles, the glulam supports even suggest that the house rests lightly among the trees rather than being imposed upon them.

surrounded by birch and pine trees, the Vollerup House sits on the northwest coast of Zealand

Høyer Arkitektur designs the summer house as a horizontal structure that responds to the vertical forest

the elongated form creates a quiet visual barrier from neighboring cottages

a restrained north facade ensures privacy while the south facade opens fully to the forest

floor-to-ceiling glass allows filtered light to enter and connects interiors to the surrounding trees

the project draws inspiration from the local longhouse typology and rural Denmark’s wooden barns

the house feels as though it rests gently among tree trunks without disturbing the land

project info:

name: Vollerup House

architect: Høyer Arkitektur | @hoyerarkitektur

location: Vollerup Strand, Denmark

area: 95 square meters

photography: © Hampus Berndtson | @hampusper

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