A Sculptural Cabin in Remote Norway Doubles as a Sledding Hill

Just over two hours north of Oslo lies the unassuming town of Lillehammer, Norway. And somewhere beyond the city limits lies Cabin Vindheim, a striking adaptation of the classic alpine cabin. Design by freshly founded architecture firm Vardehaugen and erected in 2015, the cabin’s unique design was directly inspired by the timeless image of snowbound cabin’s buried so deep in snow that only their peaked roofs stand above the snow.

To achieve the desired effect the design team more or less formed Cabin Vindheim from a series of angled roofs that extend all the way to the ground. The elongated form allows the cabin’s modest floor plan (just under 600 sq ft.) to feel more spacious than one may imagine. Skylights also help. As do celebrated pieces of Scandinavian design from the likes of Alvar Aalto.

And with a minimal amount of snow the cabin is transformed from a small house into a living part of the winter landscape. With even more, it’s connection to the surrounding terrain grows even richer, allowing visitors to climb on the roof and even sled or ski down it if desired.

If the firm’s debut project is this special, we’d suggest keeping an eye on Vardehaugen.