There is far too much ground covered with asphalt for parking cars in the world. A single normal parking space covers over 12 square metres of the Earth with an ecologically unproductive surface, and it often lies completely unused when no one has parked there. This is a rather silly situation. What can be done with these existing parking lots? I have recently been exploring how new dwellings and residential areas could be built on parking lots, instead of on previously unbuilt ground. Naturally it is always possible to see a site covered with a parking lot as a blank page, and build something there that does not relate at all to the parking lot's strict organisation. In a lot of contexts such an approach will be best, but in other cases it will be necessary or advantageous to retain the strict area limits of the parking spaces. This project is an attempt to test out how this original spatial structure can form the basis for new modular houses, where the typical outer dimensions of a s

Recently I have been working on a concept for the total renovation of a small house in Haugesund, Norway. The site lies at the edge of an existing residential area, just south of the lake Urdadalsvatnet. At the moment there is a beautiful unbuilt forest patch right to the east. The brief was to improve both the house and the garden, and turn the site as a whole into a fantastic new home for a young family with small children. The existing house is relatively small (140 m2), with some awkward rooms and a tiny, enclosed kitchen on the first floor. A few years ago the previous owner built out a very large terrace on the south and west side, which seems to tower over the garden on a generous system of point supports. We attempted to find a way to accommodate all of the owners’ wishes within the footprint of the existing house and terrace, without the need for new additions. It worked out quite well. All bedrooms are moved down to the lower level, such that everyone can sleep on the same fl

Concept sketches of a fun little personal project: ideas for some dream houses. These are explorations of possible solutions to a very pressing architectural problem of the times (laughs): how can a house be built around a private tennis court? Imagine how awesome it would be to be able to walk out of your bedroom and have access to something like this. ***

Recently I have finished a concept for a small Japan-inspired tea house as a fun little personal project. I thought that it would be interesting to share some of the process behind how I create concept art in a post, especially images of inspiring environments both in the real and the digital world. The final exterior image is created by rendering a scene from a 3d-model in Blender first, and then painting over it digitally to add the final details, lighting and atmosphere (which I do in Photoshop or Procreate app on an iPad): The final interior image is made the same way (this was initially not going to be part of the project, but I realised along the way that I just had to create some kind of cool image that draws attention to this unique window!). On the wall to the left is the low entrance, where you are forced to bow your head in humility to enter into the serene interior space. Floors are simple tatami mats, walls are white plaster, and the roof over this part is made of straw. T

Some images of the final concept for the renovation and expansion of a small cabin in the north of Norway. I quite like how this one turned out. The interior is opened up completely and expanded with a new addition on the west side, with a large new corner window that looks directly out to the fjord. The existing veranda on the south side is expanded across the new addition to create a larger outdoor terrace. On the north side is a second addition with an improved entrance area and a bedroom with its own corner window where one can lie in bed and watch the landscape. We are going to try to lay a new grass roof over the entire cottage, although it will look just as good if it has to be a tile roof in the end. This project represents perfectly what I often try to do when designing expansions where part of the existing structure has to be retained in its entirety. The new additions respect the forms and materials of the existing cabin, while subtle details and modern patterns create new q

Recently I have been working on the renovation/reconstruction of a small cabin in Ringerike kommune a few hours north of Oslo. The existing cabin lies on a rather unusual site, squeezed in on a narrow stretch of land between the highway E16 to the east and the lake Sperillen to the west. It was originally built in the 1960s. It does not have integrated running water, and consists of one large room and a partially covered balcony which lies on top of a high foundation pedestal. A tiny sleeping area has been partitioned off to the east. Small houses like this are a delight to work with. The project brief is to reorganize the space within the cabin to create at least two new bedrooms and a bathroom in addition to the living area. Because of the cabin’s location, it comes into conflict with a lot of invisible rules that must be followed in Norway: buildings must be placed at least 4 metres from the property line, and no new construction is allowed within 100 metres of the shoreline. Here w