Assigment: Transformation of an existing kitchen and living room, including the addition of corridors functioning as buffer zones towards the private bedroom areas.

Architectural Intent: The project focuses on reorganizing the layout of the social zones to create symmetry and a clear spatial connection between the kitchen, dining area, and living room. The rhythm of these spaces is emphasized through the design of the corridor. To avoid a dark and confined atmosphere in these transitional spaces, and to ensure good natural ventilation throughout the dwelling, the intention is to use architectural means to introduce light and airflow while maintaining a distinct buffer between the social areas and the existing bedrooms.


Architectural Ambition: The ambition is to highlight and further develop the dwelling’s inherent qualities, demonstrating how a thoughtful transformation can enhance its architectural character and overall value. In this context, the focus is on quality of square meters rather than quantity. Building upon the home’s existing simplicity requires craftsmanship and precision—key factors in achieving long-term value and a result of high aesthetic quality.        

Ånnerudjordet in Asker was completed in 1967 and designed by architect Nils Rosland. The residential area is a clear expression of the housing ideals of its time. It consists of detached houses primarily organized in groups of three, arranged around a shared atrium. The design emerges from post-war Scandinavian modernism, where community, human scale, and closeness to nature were guiding principles.

The neighborhood is based on a system of repetitive clusters of single-family houses, giving the area a strong and distinctive identity. A defining feature of the layout is the atrium at the center of each cluster, where the entrances to the three houses meet. This shared outdoor space serves as a communal courtyard, encouraging social interaction between neighbors within the cluster.

Two house types form the basis of the clusters. Type A, a single-storey house (some with basements), features a linear plan where the living spaces face the light and private garden, while the bedrooms are gathered in a more secluded zone. Type B, a two-storey variant, follows the same principles but introduces height and variation within the cluster. It acts as a visual anchor, adding rhythm and hierarchy to the overall composition.

The architecture at Ånnerudjordet is rooted in post-war modernism, characterized by flat roofs, clean volumes, and a restrained simplicity — balancing open and closed façades. Towards the gardens, large windows and terraces open up to light and nature, while the façades facing the atrium are more enclosed, ensuring privacy.

There is also a clear influence from Japanese architecture, evident in the façade rhythm, materiality, and spatial experience. Originally, the interior walls of the social areas were clad in lye-treated wooden panels, creating a bright, subdued, and natural atmosphere. Narrow vertical windows and light construction elements lend the houses a rhythmic balance and functional simplicity. Here, monumentality gives way to harmony — a subtle balance between building, human, and nature. The design reflects a thoughtful economy of means and a precision in architectural expression that many contemporary developments struggle to replicate.

The masterplan reveals an ambition to weave together private and shared spaces. Each house has its own garden, yet the atrium and the spatial rhythm between buildings foster contact and a sense of community. Green areas and planting are integrated into the layout, binding the built environment to the surrounding landscape. Through repetition of the clusters, the development forms not a row of isolated houses, but a network of residential communities, balancing social interaction and privacy.

Ånnerudjordet thus stands as an example of how the detached house can exist as part of a larger whole, where the architectural idea of togetherness and connection forms the foundation for a well-functioning neighborhood.