a study of material: a stone house in the arctic circle

Abstract

the work that follows is a study in material and the nature of its construction. i chose a site that was rich in tradition of building, but chose to not mimic tradition. the arctic circle of norway has a tradition of stone and wood construction. the remote qualities of the site lead me to choose a house, of local stone and wood. the extreme conditions of the environment posed the challenges in design and construction. i did not test the limits of the stone, but let the stone do what is natural to it. i chose not to force the stone to be anything other than itself, and working with these natural tendencies to make the decisions of construction.