Helen & Hard hangs Woodnest treehouses from pine trees above Norwegian fjord

Norwegian architecture office Helen & Hard has completed a pair of shingle-clad treehouses on a hillside overlooking the Hardangerfjord.

The Woodnest treehouses are situated above the town of Odda at the southern tip of Sørfjorden – one of the innermost branches of the main Hardangerfjorden.

Top: cabins are suspended five and six metres above the ground. Above: a footbridge leads to the treehouse

Helen & Hard designed the two cabins in response to the topography and conditions of the site, which is on a steep, forested hillside on the edge of the fjord.

The buildings are suspended around six metres above the forest floor and are attached to the trunks of two living pine trees using steel collars. This creates the feeling of living among the branches.

"Stemming from the client's wish to create a unique spatial experience that connects to both the ordinary and extraordinary sensation of climbing and exploring trees, our aim was to create a space that truly embodies what it means to dwell in nature," the architecture studio explained.

The cabins are attached to the trunks of living trees

The cabins are reached after a 20-minute walk up a steep, winding path that leads up from the town towards the site. Short wooden bridges extend from the hillside to the cabins' entrances.

Each of the cabins has an internal floor area of just 15 square metres that incorporates sleeping areas, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living space with views out towards the fjord.

Large windows surround the top of the cabins

The interior spaces are arranged around the tree trunks, which form the main structural core. A series of radial glue-laminated timber ribs create an outer shell incorporating large windows.

The buildings are wrapped in a protective skin made from untreated timber shingles that will weather gradually to take on a tone and patina that matches the surrounding forest.

Internal walls, ceilings, flooring and fitted furniture are all made from wood to reference the Norwegian tradition of timber construction.

The extensive use of wood also enhances the sense of being surrounded by nature.

The cabins have views across the Hardangerfjord

Treehouses and other remote dwellings have proven popular recently as people seek escapism during the coronavirus pandemic.

Designer Sebastian Cox created a treehouse in Hertfordshire, England, with scorched larch cladding and a shingle roof, while Peter Pichler designed a group of luxury treehouses for a resort in Austria.

Shingles will patina over time

Helen & Hard was founded in Stavanger, Norway, in 1996 and now has a second office in Oslo. The firm works on projects ranging in scale from private homes to large commercial schemes, cultural buildings and urban development projects.

The studio created a full-scale co-housing model for the Nordic Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale and has also designed a library featuring giant wooden ribs with integrated bookshelves.

Photography is bySindre Ellingsen.

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Nordic Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale is full-scale co-housing model

Norwegian architecture studio Helen & Hard has built a 1:1 cross-section of a co-housing project made from spruce wood in the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Commissioned by the National Museum of Norway, the exhibition is named What We Share and demonstrates how architects can design and build communities "based on participation and sharing".

Helen & Hard hopes it will also demonstrate how co-living can be used to help tackle various environmental issues, increase residential security and combat loneliness.

Helen & Hard has curated the Nordic Pavilion

"Within the theme of the biennale, 'How will we live together?', we wanted to emphasise the main environmental and social challenges we face today, such as the increasing loneliness and segregation in our society and the negative impact of the building industry in terms of carbon dioxide emissions," Helen & Hard told Dezeen.

"The Scandinavian co-housing model and our own experiences with co-housing projects inspired us to explore an experimental model that can help to face these challenges," it continued.

It contains a 1:1 cross-section of a co-housing project

"The idea to share spaces, resources and services can help to reduce our carbon footprint by living more efficiently while at the same time increasing our social welfare and quality of life," the studio added.

"In our installation, we wanted to explore the architectonic, material and generative design potentials of co-housing."

It is constructed out of solid wood

The Nordic Pavilion cross-section comprises a mix of individual living spaces and spacious shared facilities, but with a heavier emphasis on the latter.

This layout was developed by Helen & Hard in collaboration with residents from its cohousing project Vindmøllebakken in Stavanger, Norway. Residents were asked to imagine a more radical version of the housing block by choosing which functions could be moved out of their private apartments and into the shared spaces.

It comprises a mix of private and shared living spaces

The 1:1 model is constructed entirely from an open-source solid timber construction system, developed by Swiss engineer Herman Blumer to be produced locally and used for self-build projects.

This system relies on solid spruce-wood panels connected by dowels made of beech negating the need for glue, ensuring it is adaptable and environmentally friendly.

The different living spaces in the Nordic Pavilion are brought to life with furnishings and "scenographies" designed by film director Pål Jackman and scenographer Nina Bjerch-Andresen.

There is also a video, commissioned by artist Anna Ihle, which spotlights a resident at Vindmøllebakken and illuminates the social and political aspects of co-living.

The structures are joined with dowels

"The scenographies are a representation and record of the life and personalities of the inhabitants and the common activities that take place in the shared zones," the studio explained.

"We wanted to show in some concentrated areas how the timber structure can be occupied and used, how the different programmes and activities can adapt to the timber structure and vice versa."

A communal workshop is among one of the shared spaces

What We Share will be on display at the 17th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which runs until 21 November 2021.

Following the event, the studio plans to reuse the installation as part of a cohousing project it is currently developing in Norway.

Photography is by Chiara Masiero Sgrinzatto and Luca Nicolò Vascon, courtesy of the National Museum of Norway.

The2021 Venice Architecture Biennale is taking place from 22 May to 21 November in various venues across the city. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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