Studio Åsen sits beautifully positioned atop a hill, overlooking a forest edge. Small paths lined with bilberry bushes lead to the artist’s residence. There you’re met by a narrow veranda and a closed façade.
“When you step onto the narrow veranda you’re forced to sharpen your senses, and the building’s closure towards the plot creates mental distance from everyday life – when working in the studio you shouldn’t have to sit looking at your car,” says architect Max Lindgren, who has a long relationship with the site. This has contributed to a deep understanding of how the architecture needs to adapt to the dramatic landscape.
Minimising the environmental impact
The building was constructed by Byggbolaget Orust and is practically free of concrete. Here timber is the load-bearing material. The structural frame, façade, internal wall lining and insulation are all in timber, creating a vapour-open construction and a stable indoor climate over time.
“A central ambition in the project was to minimise environmental impact and leave as small a footprint on the site as possible. That made locally produced timber an obvious material choice.”
The frame’s timber columns connect to specially forged post shoes, extending all the way up through the roof where they work with walls, roof and floor slab to absorb shear forces and stabilise the construction.
“The timber columns lift the house from the ground so it lands lightly on the sloping terrain. It creates a sense of hovering between the ground and tree crowns. With columns as foundation we’ve also avoided blasting – the only lasting interventions in nature are small drilled holes in the rock.”
The roof projects dramatically and is clad with zinc-magnesium sheeting. The material develops a beautiful patina and handles the west coast’s rainy climate superbly.
“The projection makes the veranda a weather-protected space. When it rains heavily it becomes like a curtain of rain falling from the roof – then you have to step onto the veranda via the gable.”
Nature and landscape plays an active role
The studio is part of the platform Artist in Coexistence, where artists can apply to stay on site for extended periods. Since the building was completed in 2023, artists from around the world have stayed here. The studio functions as both workplace and residence during the residency period.
“Nature and landscape play an active role in the artist’s work here. The idea is not to shut yourself in the studio and just work, but also take in nature. That’s why we’ve placed the toilet and bathroom in a cabin on the other side of the plot.”
Studio Åsen demonstrates resilience not only in the building’s physical sustainability and environmental impact, but also from the artist’s perspective.
The studio room’s generous glazing gives the artist close contact with nature. To maintain a “pure space”, the kitchenette is concealed behind closed timber shutters. From the open studio you move into a lower room with a built-in daybed and bookshelf.
In the loft lies a sleeping alcove, deliberately closed to views with only a skylight for light and ventilation.
“Accommodating all these mental and physical states in such a small area was one of the project’s greatest challenges. The architecture must help the artist shift between production, reflection and rest, otherwise the studio won’t work in the long term,” says Max Lindgren.
Text: Gustav Schön Photo: Philip Liljenberg
