Custom Plywood Revitalizes a ’70s Swedish Prefab Cabin

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Project Details:

Location: Nynäshamn, Sweden

Architect: Atelier–Heyman Hamilton / @at____hh

Footprint: 1,000 square feet

Builder: Ronny Johansson, Lynn Bygg

Structural Engineer: Astadien

Interior Styling: Mattson Marnell / @mattsonmarnell

Photographer: Andy Liffner / @andyliffnerphotography

From the Architect: "In the process of the extension and renovation of Torö, a home in Nynäshamn, Sweden, we had the privilege of working with clients and builders who understood the importance of preserving the existing structure, despite the practical and aesthetic challenges the 1970s catalog home presented. As architects, we are particularly interested in the complex character of Folkhem architecture, which highlights modernism’s forward drive through the development of new materials, architectural expressions, and systems for mass-production while also embracing local traditional forms and details.

"The renovation and extension aims to extend the house’s lifespan by updating essential building functions and adapting the rooms for multigenerational living. To improve energy efficiency and enable year-round living, all windows were replaced and the outer walls were internally insulated. The damaged roof was repaired by cutting away the worn lower sections, constructing new roof eaves, and applying new roof paper across the entire roof, which also continues towards the northern gable to accommodate the extension. The roof was angled down towards the new gable to reflect the site’s slope where the extension is located, and the extension’s footings were designed to accentuate the shift in topography. Internally, walls affected by black mold were replaced in new positions, and the roof structure and ceiling above the living room was removed. The subsequent need for a new ridge beam and columns was turned into a visible element, spatially utilized at the intersection of the hall, dining room, and living room.

"The new plan creates more distinct spaces for the family to gather and seek privacy. The hall, kitchen, bathroom and dining room create a collection of medium-size rooms that function as a meeting point for the two bedrooms in the existing house and the more private bedroom and reading room of the extension. The visible structure—a result of changes to the interior roof structure of the existing house—becomes a central spatial element in this organization, both separating the living spaces from the service spaces with a post and lintel portal where the hall, living room, and dining room intersect as well as linking them visually and structurally across the living room.

"The project introduced as few new materials as possible. The materials that we chose to add are very much a response of the most prevalent existing materials: the brown-black tar paint on the facade and the pine wood interior paneling. The tar paper on the roof and facade were chosen to be in dialogue with the dark brown-black ferrous pigment of the existing facades while the pine plywood on the interior is a nod to the pine paneling in the ceiling of the existing interiors."