Saunders Architecture has designed Villa Grieg in Bergen, Norway.

This project house sits upon the brow of a hill, overlooking the waters of Lake Nordås. Situated around 15 minutes drive to the south of the city of Bergen, the neighbourhood has a semi-rural and almost bucolic quality – partly from the wealth of woods and trees, but also the open views of a unique and picturesque landscape where hills and coastal inlets combine.

Saunders Architecture worked closely with the client to design their forever home and adjacent music studio. The client's connection to the area reaches back to his great, great, great grandfather's cousin who was the famed Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, who, in 1880, commissioned architect Schak Bull to design a summer home in the same location.

The simple form of the home gently raises up from the landscape and sits on a series of slender columns. The home not only touches the land lightly but also captures views of Lake Nordås and its small islands below. Vertical wood cladding – which will naturally turn silver over time – was chosen to blend in with the tall stands of trees in the area. The off-grid home, powered by PV panels on the roof and a heat pump system, generates enough energy to power the home, as well as power the family's electric car.

This project has been longlisted in the urban house category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Designer: Saunders Architecture

Project: Villa Grieg