The brief
Two retired doctors bought a clearing in a larch forest and asked for a house that would not cost them a single tree. Snow lies here for five months of the year.
The house stands on a narrow concrete plinth, so the roots and the forest floor stay as they were. Its timber volume is lifted just above the snow line.
We measured every tree before we drew a single wall.Ada Okafor, associate
Material and structure
Cross-laminated timber forms the walls and roof. The cladding is local larch, charred on the lower boards and left to silver above.
- Prefabricated timber shell erected in nine days
- Wood fired stove and solar thermal panels
- No trees removed on the plot
On site
Deliveries were timed around the snow and the nesting season. The clients spent their first winter in the house in December 2023.
