Description

The residential complex consists of Søholm I (5 linked houses, with the architect’s private home at the end), Søholm II (9 row houses along the coastal path) and Søholm III (4 row houses, stepped back and only single-story in order to leave the view open for the other units). The shifted plan of the linked houses and the distinctive roofs and wall openings even on the longitudinal sides have the effect that each house of Søholm I is both part of the chain and an individual volume.

The landscaping arises from the formation of the buildings comprising wraparound patios on the garden side and forecourts on the opposite side with entrance steps, front gardens, and a garage ramp. The external shape of the houses is closely harmonized with the internal layout.

The dining area, for example, is embedded into the middle of the house both in cross-section and in plan. Located close to the entrance, connected via open stairs and its raised ceiling to the living room and oriented laterally toward the patio, this space is a key interface with the kitchen on one side and the bedrooms on the other. The kitchen leads to a set of stairs down to the garage, which is slightly lowered into the ground, and to the utility areas beyond as well as to an additional room, which defines the patio at right angles. Yet the living room occupies a tranquil position at the very top.

The shape of the roof above it, with a band of windows facing northwest, guides the eye skyward, and also to the dining room below and out beyond the balcony to the sea. At this point, the built-in bench between fireplace and window beckons one to take everything in simultaneously – the surrounding landscape and the house.

---

Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.