SKÖNJA

Location: Norra Hällsjön
Construction Year: 2023

Team:
Therese Östman, KTH
Ala Talebian, Chalmers
Heine Troland, AHO Oslo
Edith Tamm, Chalmers
Lisa Clausen-Schaumann, AHO Oslo

Caretakers: Västervik kommun

After walking the narrow path, the glade by the small cliff opens up and
invites us to stop and enjoy the light peeking through the treetops and shimmer across the lake as a breeze blows by. Towards the evening, the cliff is
soaked in sun, and we enjoy the view of Norra Hällsjön while we feel safely
surrounded by the forest around us.
Skönja is mainly constructed from recycled building materials; a way for us
to show respect and appreciation for nature’s qualities. The dense walls of
the wind shelter made out of CLT (cross-laminated timber) are leftovers from
other constructions, and the ribs that are around the wind shelter and on the
deck by the cliff have previously been used in transport.
The intentions of the wind shelter and deck are to reinforce the qualities
that nature has already created on this site. The deck wraps around the
edge of the cliff and stretches out towards the water while the branches of
the birch find their way up between the ribs. The wind shelter seeks protection against the rock and angles itself accordingly. Inside the wind shelter
you can discern the forest, the lake and the cliff through a wooden grid that
goes from dense to open; a play of light and shadow unfolds