pihlmann

Between holiday homes, shrubbery, and conifers, on a hilltop with a view over Ebeltoft Bay lies House in Mols Hills – a summer residence with four interconnected ’house-shaped’ units that enclose a central courtyard. It is built on the idea of a house that appears modest from the outside and is experienced as generous from within. Adapting gently to the landscape, the house enables the picturesque scenery to unfold as the focus of attention.

The outer façade alternates between planes of oiled cedar boards, sliding shutters with horizontal cedar slats, and aluminum-framed floor to ceiling windows. Sheltered from the strong coastal winds lies the inner courtyard, framed by four glazed façades with large format windows, hinged doors and the sliding doors which allow for an elimination of the physical boundaries between interior and exterior space.

The transparent façade creates an ever-present visual connection between courtyard, interior spaces, and the wavy waters of the bay. The sturdy metals used for the façades – galvanized steel angle irons, anodized aluminum windows and frames as well as roof and gutters made of zinc – make the house resistant to the harsh coastal climate. They appear unpretentious and contemporary, yet naturally settled amongst the surrounding houses.

Each of the four units serve different functions: one contains the entrance area, another accommodates guest rooms, the southern forms a space for living, dining, and cooking while the final one provides an adjacent living space as well as the master bedroom.

The sparse use of partitions together with the numerous glass panel create an open floor plan allowing the units and functions to merge with each other. Consequently, the transitions between the four units appear subtle: the vaulted ceilings reveal the directional shifts of the roof pitch. Where one unit ends and another begins there a division of the concrete floor, which is cast on top of four independent foundations, appears. The concrete is polished, revealing monochrome aggregates from the Scandinavian underground.

The inside of the external walls is lined with plasterboard, while the partitions – which also provide built-in cupboards, drawers, and shelves – are made from Nordic pine plywood. Exposed, robust frames of pine glulam form the load-bearing structure. The columns create a rhythm throughout the house. The beams lie as a distinctive frieze on which the roof rests. The wooden surfaces of the interior are oiled and lye-treated, which preserves their warmth and softness, while emphasizing a sharp contrast to the building’s robust exterior, where the choice of material is a direct consequence of wind and weather.

House in Mols Hills pursues beauty in modesty, determined by the surroundings and based on a palette of local materials. It is built with an awareness of the setting itself being the main attraction. Therefore, it is foremost an open framework that imbues an intimate connection between external ambience and spatial qualities.