Winners 2007 - Third Prize

Minimalist Landscape Garden

This new building is perched proudly upon a stone podium which, from the distance, gives the impression of a garden wall. It is a summer home, and it merges with the rectilinear pattern inscribed upon the countryside in south Sweden. The scale, materials and floor plan of this austere example of contemporary architecture, as well as the garden’s strict geometry, were inspired by the farms typical of Skane, scattered throughout the open landscape.

In the new residence’s courtyard – also a standard element of the farmhouses – rounded glacial cobbles which were found on site are edged with a perimeter strip of granite. The thresholds between inside and outside are made of the same granite. A single Japanese flowering dogwood provides shade. As in the nearby traditional farms, this house is encircled by trees. A linden allée – its road surfaced in cobblestones – leads to the house. A gabion ha-ha separates the garden from the surrounding fields – an invisible boundary which enables a seamless transition to the landscape.

Rectangular carpets of wildflowers connect visually with the surrounding barley and wheat fields. The wildflower mix peaks in July and is cut in October. When snow falls, it covers the cut plants and creates abstract compositions of lines and rectangles. The view from the residence extends to the sea.

Fotos:
Round stones which were recovered from the site now pave the courtyard, and linden trees line the path to the house. Wildflowers blossom in rectilinear fields. As in traditional farms, the residence is encircled by mature trees.