The Zartmann family dreamed of building a timber summerhouse on a remote island in the Stockholm archipelago, so they reached out to Scandinavian modular home company Sommarnöjen to make their weekend retreat a reality. When site studies showed that helicoptering entire modules to the property wouldn’t be possible, Sommarnöjen asked Anders Berensson Architects to design a home composed of easily transportable prefab panels.

“The island is very beautiful and untouched compared to many others in the Stockholm archipelago,” says Anders Berensson, founder and director of Anders Berensson Architects. “The challenge was figuring out how to place the house in a way that would enhance the qualities of the site. Since the plot varies in height, we divided the house into small volumes that could fit on the site.”

To navigate the tricky terrain, the architects created four timber volumes on separate rocks connected by a deck and a bridge that traverses the site from east to west.

On the east side, two large volumes make up the main house, which includes an open-plan living/dining/cooking area, two bedrooms with a shared bath, storage, and a furnace room. The elevated deck surrounding the main home connects to the bridge, which leads to the sauna and a two-bedroom guesthouse in the west.

The volumes are placed to frame carefully curated views of the landscape. From the eastern rock, the main house overlooks the outer rim of the Stockholm archipelago, while glimpses of the inner archipelago can be enjoyed from the volumes on the west side.

The view from the kitchen is oriented toward a beautiful windswept tree, and the living room windows frame the site’s rocky outcropping. “We created a promenade of views and small spaces, which became the concept for the design,” notes Berensson.

Construction of the Zartmann House took almost a year to complete from start to finish, with the majority of the time spent on site preparation and dealing with Sweden’s difficult winter season. The house plugs into the existing electricity grid and taps into water from a locally drilled well, although a new wastewater system had to be installed on-site.

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When asked about his favorite part of the project, Berensson shares: “It’s the walk toward the sauna and guest room. There is something promising in that walk, knowing you are entering a world of hot baths and nice views.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Anders Berensson Architects

Builder/ Structural Engineer: Sommarnöjen