Villa Faun / Various Architects

Architects: Various Architects
Location: Oslo, Norway
Lead Architect: Ibrahim Elhayawan
Design Team: Isabell Adamofski, Ibrahim Elhayawan, Alexander H. Berg, Birgitte J. Haug, Laura Martinez
Area: 1000.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Ibrahim Elhayawan, Roger Sandvær

Landscape: Simons Hagedesign og Østlandsentreprenøren
Lighting: Concept Design AS
Electrical: AA elektro / Micromatic

From the architect. Villa Faun is an apartment complex located in the Northwest hill side of Oslo, Norway, with a great view over the city and to the Oslo Fjord. The neighbourhood is characterised by various types of Norwegian houses built during the last 100 years.

The main intention for Villa Faun was to bring together a unifying identity to the project, while creating individual and private units. The building is placed on the site and oriented with an angle to frame views and natural daylight for indoor and outdoor spaces.

Villa Faun has a basic pitched-roof house shape, that is developed according to the functions and surroundings. The roof, together with Northern and Southern facades create a massive wooden envelope. The other two facades contrast with the envelope in form, material and colour. These facades are characterised with playful extrusions and intrusions that give individual identity to each unit.

This playfulness breaks down the scale of the facades and creates a dynamic form, while the clear wooden envelope balances the overall expression. Therefor Villa Faun appears both calm and playful. The architecture has a unique character and at the same time it fits with the surrounding context in harmony with traditional neighbouring villas.

Due to the sloping terrain, The volumes are designed with split-levels, so that both apartments on the ground floor could get straight into the garden.The split level also allows extra height for the upper apartments which provides generous spaces. The pitched-roof has an asymmetrical shape that works well the split level design and allows for additional height. Hence the possibility to create an extra mezzanine floor within building height regulations. The car parking is located in an underground garage, to maximise green areas and create more enjoyable outdoor spaces.

The massive wooden envelope is visible in the interior and is integrated with various functions, including fire places, kitchen units and ventilation in addition to built-in benches and deep window frames.