Split View Mountain Lodge. Shape and materials in continuity with Norwegian building traditions

Split View Mountain Lodge, designed for 4 people plus a new one on the way, is located near the village of Geilo, a popular ski destination in Norway's Hallingdal Valley. Around it, the landscape offers abundant ski resorts in winter and excellent opportunities for hiking and other sports in summer

The clients require a simple program for their mountain lodge: four bedrooms, separate living and dining rooms, a youth room and a mezzanine for younger children; and finally a small outbuilding to accommodate visiting friends and grandparents. Architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad's response is a building with a clear, clean language, clad in a continuous wooden skin on the exterior walls and roof, which will acquire a gray patina over time

The volume consists of a main body, which houses the bedrooms, and branches that follow the natural contours of the landscape, dividing the living areas in two. The separate volume of the annex is placed as an extension of the main body and completes the volumetric composition that characterizes the lodge: 3 blocks ending in fully glazed facades that project toward the landscape

A hall with an in situ polished concrete floor forms the base of the cantilevered glazed volume and becomes the filter area where boots and jackets can be left upon entering the lodge. A wooden staircase rises from the basement and opens to the generous space of the living area, covered by a complex sloping ceiling. At the center of the apartment house, where wings housing the dining room and living room branch off from the main body, is the kitchen. Its fiberglass and concrete countertop is cantilevered in the center of the space and anchored by a double-sided chimney at the other end

The extruded shape of the structure frames spectacular views from inside the cabin, while smaller openings strategically placed along its volume offer glimpses of the surrounding environment. The elevated levels of the living and dining areas provide its occupants with a high degree of privacy. The interior floor, walls, and ceiling are evenly clad with virtually knot-free wood, while all window frames are hidden or discreet. Attention to detail and high quality materials is consistent throughout the project