The steep, rugged cliffs of the island municipality of Finnoy offer spectacular views alongside a brilliant place to live. Merete, a Norwegian woman, dreamed of exactly this and commissioned architectural practice Helen + Hard to build a house in the countryside. The result is a home that looks as if it grew out of the rocks one day and, after gazing down at the sea, decided to stay.
| Type of Building | Private Home |
| Product areas | Windows Doors Facades Sliding doors |
| Schüco Systems | AWS 70.HI ADS 70 SL.HI FWS 50 ASS 70.HI |
| Features | Exceptional architecture |
| Location | Reilstad, Norway |
| Completion | 2018 |
| Architects | Helen & Hard AS Oslo |
| Specialist company | A.S Rubicon |
| Picture credits | © Sindre Ellingsen |
With its four split-level floors, the new building continues the topography of the steeply sloping terrain leading down to the sea in the interior areas too. Each floor is connected to the landscape via a terrace. This makes the house look as though it has grown out of the rocks. The green, asymmetrically slanted roof also blends in with the surrounding landscape. Due to the steep gradient of the plot, the load-bearing structure of the timber building sits on a concrete slab.
To achieve this exceptional view over the sea, precise planning was essential. The exposed, sloped location of the house required glass units that could withstand extreme levels of wind and rain. The architects opted for Schüco aluminium windows and doors installed with a basic depth of 70 mm. The façade system that is used offers an additional advantage in terms of stability. This means that huge glass constructions are possible with high wind load resistance and watertightness, while visually complementing the Schüco Design sliding door.
