Location: Nacka, Stockholm
Type: Single-detached house
Year: 2018
Photographer: Mikael Olsson

The T-House uses and challenges the most common technology solutions of our time in a difficult-to-build location, a typical challenge in a metropolitan location today. The house maximizes the volume within the zoning restrictions on a steeply sloping plot in an established residential area. There is room for both an elderly disabled person and playing children in well-functioning indoor and outdoor spaces. With recognizable elements and recognizable building technology, a clear body is created that stands out and awakens emotions. The T-house is a house for a family with a separate guest apartment.

The trees around the house have been preserved and the house rises in the foliage. In the narrow body, the kitchen-living room is placed as high up as possible in order to get the views and the light. For good accessibility and function, the stairwell is in the centre of the body from which all stories and functions are reached.

The T-shape enables a minimal excavation as it only requires a small foundation at the bottom (the Swedish law requires full accessibility with wheelchair). The shape also provides an advantageous symmetry in the structure which stands independent of itself without attachment to the bedrock. Only the terrace elements are attached to the rock. A prefabricated structure provides a controlled construction process. The sandwich panel with the mold side inwards allows for a manually raked treatment of the facade surface which visually blends with the bark of the trees. The choice of concrete as building material derives from the moisture-exposed position in the rock. Materials has been used with untreated surfaces together with simple technology solutions such as the use of thermal inertia. The interior has a warm character with the exposed wooden surfaces in contrast with the hard exterior.