Johan Sundberg designs cross-shaped timber summer house in Swedish forest
Architecture studio creates holiday home responding to landscape rhythms with exposed timber structure
1Architectural concept
Johan Sundberg Arkitektur designed a 152-square-meter summer house with a distinctive cross-shaped plan that extends into the forested landscape of Hallandsåsen ridge. The layout was developed in close collaboration with clients to respond to daily life rhythms and site characteristics. The cross shape provides varied views - intimate vegetation scenes and distant sea vistas - while accommodating three equal-sized bedrooms reflecting the family's informal living preferences.
2Material selection
The cabin features an exposed structure combining glue-laminated timber (glulam) with spruce cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, left untreated to weather naturally. Vertical heartwood pine cladding undergoes gradual tonal changes from sun and rain exposure. This material approach creates a dialogue between built form and natural processes, with wide decking wrapping the volume to enhance outdoor connections while being sheltered by overhanging eaves.
3Spatial organization
The interior opens to an open-plan kitchen and dining area, separated from the living room by a central passageway beneath a long skylight. A glazed studio space leads to the main bedroom with bathroom and sauna, while two additional bedrooms occupy the opposite end. All bedrooms have direct deck access, with the main bedroom featuring an outdoor shower tucked under roof overhangs.
4Interior detailing
A curated material palette includes exposed spruce, concrete floors, and Oregon pine joinery. Lava-stone tiles in pale green finish the bathrooms, contrasting with wooden cabinetry in living areas. The design incorporates handmade details developed collaboratively with clients, integrating contributions from friends and collaborators within this cohesive material framework.
5Site integration
Positioned on a north-facing slope, the house's raised concrete plinth at the northern end supports a large window and outdoor dining terrace overlooking the landscape. The architectural form respects topography while creating protected outdoor spaces under deep eaves, allowing occupants to feel both sheltered and immersed in nature.
6Light strategy
A long, deep skylight crowns the central passageway, drawing daylight into living spaces. This strategic lighting element complements the cross-shaped plan's orientation, which captures varied natural light conditions throughout the day. The untreated interior timber surfaces reflect and diffuse this light, enhancing the connection between interior spaces and external conditions.
7Comparative context
Pine House joins contemporary Scandinavian holiday home designs emphasizing material honesty and landscape integration. Similar projects include Keiji Ashizawa's charred cedar home in Yatsugatake and Kuba Woźniczka's black-timber Polish woodland cabin. These designs share an emphasis on weathering materials and topographic responsiveness, though Pine House distinguishes itself with its cross-shaped plan and collaborative design process.
8Design significance
The project demonstrates how architectural form can mediate between human habitation patterns and natural systems. By developing the cross-shaped plan through client collaboration and using materials that record environmental interaction, Johan Sundberg Arkitektur created a summer house that evolves visually over time while maintaining strong connections to its woodland setting.