The Fleinvær Refugium is a cluster of uniquely designed structures located on the Norwegian island of Sørvær. Constructed with a clean material palette of unfinished timber which will silver to blend with the rocky shoreline, the cabins are affixed to the surrounding geology with steel tension cables to help bolster them against the elements.
There are a total of nine individual structures scattered along the rocky outcrop, with the intention that several smaller buildings are capable of responding to the extreme terrain in a far better manner than a single, much larger volume.
All of the houses have been given their own character. You can see them as a family with a mother, father, children and cousins. They have the same materials, but are still different.Sami Rintala
One structure in particular stands as an outlier, being both situated slightly higher up the slope on a singular support, and bearing an exoskeleton of red steel girders. This volume features the window array pictured below and overlooks the whole of Fleinvær Refugium.
The creation of the outpost was prompted by the Norwegian musician Håvard Lund who had used the island as a retreat in the past and the project was ultimately designed by Sami Rintala and Tyin Tegnestue architects.
Somewhat unusually, the booking process for staying at Fleinvær Refugium involves booking the entire 9 building settlement at €3340/week which to me seems counterintuitive if the project is indeed aimed at artists looking for a quiet retreat. However artists can apply for government funding grants to stay at the Fleinvær Refugium.
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Further Info
| Architect | TYIN Tegnestue + Rintala Eggertsson Architects |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Pasi Aalto |
