1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,096 I think it's time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live. 2 00:00:04,096 --> 00:00:06,092 Talk about "Welcome to my humble abode"! 3 00:00:06,092 --> 00:00:09,020 Cor, that is a whole lot of house! 4 00:00:11,084 --> 00:00:15,040 He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect... 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:19,048 I mean, the depth of this wall, it's four-foot thick. 6 00:00:19,048 --> 00:00:20,088 After you, my Lord. 7 00:00:20,088 --> 00:00:23,020 And she's Caroline Quentin - 8 00:00:23,020 --> 00:00:26,056 acclaimed actress and passionate property developer. 9 00:00:26,056 --> 00:00:32,032 This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools. 10 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:37,060 'We've been given the keys to some of the most incredible houses in the world.' 11 00:00:37,060 --> 00:00:40,064 If we were left alone here for any amount of time, I have a feeling... 12 00:00:40,064 --> 00:00:42,076 We would ruin this house. SHE LAUGHS 13 00:00:42,076 --> 00:00:45,048 '..to discover the design innovation, passion, 14 00:00:45,048 --> 00:00:49,036 'and endurance needed to transform architectural vision into an 15 00:00:49,036 --> 00:00:51,040 'extraordinary home.' 16 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,040 Look! I'm dumbstruck. 17 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,000 'We're travelling the globe...' 18 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,020 Ho-ho! 19 00:00:58,020 --> 00:01:01,016 '..meeting architects and owners to explore how their daring homes 20 00:01:01,016 --> 00:01:05,072 'respond uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture.' 21 00:01:05,072 --> 00:01:08,092 I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in. 22 00:01:08,092 --> 00:01:12,052 'Whether it's battling the elements to construct a dream home on 23 00:01:12,052 --> 00:01:15,048 'dramatic Scandinavian terrain...' 24 00:01:15,048 --> 00:01:18,056 The architect was nervous that things would go wrong. 25 00:01:18,056 --> 00:01:20,036 He couldn't bear to look at it. 26 00:01:20,036 --> 00:01:24,012 '..pushing the boundaries of European experimentation...' 27 00:01:24,012 --> 00:01:26,020 I think that's it.I think it is. 28 00:01:26,020 --> 00:01:30,060 When I looked at the proposal, at the beginning I was almost shocked. 29 00:01:30,060 --> 00:01:34,072 '..celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia...' 30 00:01:34,072 --> 00:01:38,040 We've likened this house to dripping chocolate sauce 31 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,008 over vanilla ice cream. 32 00:01:40,008 --> 00:01:42,056 '..or going all-out for glamour in America.' 33 00:01:42,056 --> 00:01:46,052 You just do what you do best, is to create a masterpiece. 34 00:01:46,052 --> 00:01:50,004 MOCK AMERICAN ACCENT:Piers! Is this too Miami? 35 00:01:55,084 --> 00:01:59,096 Sprawling fjords and glacial mountains give Norway one of the 36 00:01:59,096 --> 00:02:04,020 most invigorating and awe-inspiring landscapes in the world. 37 00:02:05,096 --> 00:02:08,068 Are you excited to be here? I am. I like extreme places. 38 00:02:08,068 --> 00:02:11,088 I like places that are a long way away, hard to get to, beautiful, 39 00:02:11,088 --> 00:02:14,092 dramatic and different, and this has all of those things. 40 00:02:14,092 --> 00:02:17,012 We're up near the Arctic Circle. 41 00:02:17,012 --> 00:02:19,036 It's extraordinary to think that, isn't it? 42 00:02:21,092 --> 00:02:25,004 With a population of little over five million, 43 00:02:25,004 --> 00:02:28,008 much of Norway remains remote and unspoiled. 44 00:02:31,064 --> 00:02:35,040 What do you think makes the architecture here particularly 45 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,064 relevant and interesting for us, Piers? 46 00:02:37,064 --> 00:02:41,000 This is the top of Europe and it has a cold climate, 47 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,064 extreme climate, and seeing buildings that respond to that type 48 00:02:44,064 --> 00:02:47,080 of environment, I think, is really interesting. 49 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,080 Architecture comes out of its place, out of its environment, 50 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,064 its context, and really, historically, the way we 51 00:02:54,064 --> 00:02:57,052 built was to deal with weather, and this is a country that still has 52 00:02:57,052 --> 00:02:59,060 to do that. 53 00:02:59,060 --> 00:03:03,060 On our journey, we'll be discovering what it takes to design, 54 00:03:03,060 --> 00:03:06,048 build and live in this rugged wilderness. 55 00:03:09,004 --> 00:03:13,000 It's quite one of the most spectacular spots I've ever been to. 56 00:03:14,076 --> 00:03:17,072 We'll see how deep-seated tradition 57 00:03:17,072 --> 00:03:21,004 has either been embraced and updated... 58 00:03:21,004 --> 00:03:24,048 This is, for me, personally, perfect. 59 00:03:24,048 --> 00:03:26,012 ..or left behind altogether. 60 00:03:27,012 --> 00:03:30,000 Hospital is the word that springs to mind. 61 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,004 Brutal hospital. 62 00:03:32,004 --> 00:03:37,012 We're taking a boat ride to Vega, a remote island 400 miles north of 63 00:03:37,012 --> 00:03:41,052 Oslo, where, since the Stone Age, people have made their living from 64 00:03:41,052 --> 00:03:43,056 the sea. 65 00:03:43,056 --> 00:03:46,028 When I think of Norwegian houses, I think of, you know 66 00:03:46,028 --> 00:03:49,092 Monopoly houses, those little red plastic houses.Red and green. 67 00:03:49,092 --> 00:03:54,016 I'll be interested to see how much building there is on the coast. 68 00:03:54,016 --> 00:03:56,072 Because the weather is so violent and so extreme. 69 00:03:56,072 --> 00:03:59,080 Historically, I think only fishermen built on the shore. 70 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,008 Nowadays, people are moving back to the coast because we can deal with 71 00:04:03,008 --> 00:04:05,064 that stuff in 21st century building technology. 72 00:04:07,064 --> 00:04:12,052 Vega Island is one of around 6,000 islands in an archipelago. 73 00:04:12,052 --> 00:04:15,048 There are just over 1,200 people living here. 74 00:04:15,048 --> 00:04:19,024 It's quintessential Norway and very quiet. 75 00:04:19,024 --> 00:04:21,012 This is Vega, and isn't it beautiful? 76 00:04:22,088 --> 00:04:26,036 It's, erm, it's unspoiled. Properly unspoiled, isn't it? 77 00:04:26,036 --> 00:04:29,052 Yeah.It's a proper fishing community, but tiny. 78 00:04:29,052 --> 00:04:33,008 We're looking for a remote island retreat, 79 00:04:33,008 --> 00:04:36,012 built to blend in with the surrounding landscape. 80 00:04:38,076 --> 00:04:43,024 Well, there it is, but you'd hardly notice it, would you? 81 00:04:43,024 --> 00:04:48,040 What's fantastic is that there isn't a gate and a sign and a driveway. 82 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,016 Nothing's been cleared, there's just a cabin on a rock. 83 00:04:55,012 --> 00:04:57,008 This is Vega Cottage. 84 00:04:59,012 --> 00:05:04,004 This unassuming reinterpretation of a traditional fishermen's hut is in 85 00:05:04,004 --> 00:05:09,008 fact a modern robust home, perched delicately in this landscape. 86 00:05:09,008 --> 00:05:11,052 It's the epitome of Norwegian understatement. 87 00:05:13,068 --> 00:05:15,096 This is exciting, isn't it? 88 00:05:15,096 --> 00:05:19,012 The way the house is cut around the rock. 89 00:05:19,012 --> 00:05:21,096 There is such a tradition of levelling the ground and placing a 90 00:05:21,096 --> 00:05:24,064 building, whereas this shows you you don't need level ground. 91 00:05:24,064 --> 00:05:27,012 You match your building to the landscape. 92 00:05:27,012 --> 00:05:29,080 I love this, the way this is just cut round like a bit of carpet 93 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,088 around a piece of skirting board. 94 00:05:32,088 --> 00:05:35,004 To resist the extreme weather, 95 00:05:35,004 --> 00:05:38,088 the construction called for complex engineering and durable materials, 96 00:05:38,088 --> 00:05:43,040 including larch wood cladding and glass four centimetres thick. 97 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,036 It's really discreet to have the entrance tucked around the back, 98 00:05:47,036 --> 00:05:50,012 I suppose protected from the winter winds and the weather. 99 00:05:50,012 --> 00:05:52,084 That's right, of course it's in the most sheltered bit, because 100 00:05:52,084 --> 00:05:55,052 otherwise you open the door and a gale takes it out of your hand. 101 00:05:55,052 --> 00:05:58,044 I could stay out here all day but I'm really keen to know what happens 102 00:05:58,044 --> 00:05:59,088 inside.Come on, then. 103 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:03,008 Come by. 104 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:10,092 The challenge for the architects was to build on rough terrain without 105 00:06:10,092 --> 00:06:13,048 damaging the landscape. 106 00:06:13,048 --> 00:06:15,064 Building on a tiny footprint, 107 00:06:15,064 --> 00:06:19,096 they've squeezed a lot of home into only 140 square metres. 108 00:06:21,044 --> 00:06:23,044 On one side are the bedrooms - 109 00:06:23,044 --> 00:06:25,048 two on the ground floor 110 00:06:25,048 --> 00:06:29,000 and a third, for the kids, tucked under the eaves. 111 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,004 The other side of the cottage is given over to a single-vaulted 112 00:06:33,004 --> 00:06:37,032 family room, divided by a chimney stack into zones for cooking, 113 00:06:37,032 --> 00:06:40,048 dining, and relaxing. 114 00:06:40,048 --> 00:06:42,032 SHE GASPS 115 00:06:43,060 --> 00:06:46,068 Piers, I really, really like this house. 116 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:49,088 And I love the fact that you've got, 117 00:06:49,088 --> 00:06:53,072 you walk straight in and suddenly it's family, it's all about family straightaway. 118 00:06:53,072 --> 00:06:57,068 And then you've got this wonderful, stonking great.. Hearth...hearth. 119 00:06:57,068 --> 00:06:59,092 Which does everything - cooking and warmth. 120 00:07:00,092 --> 00:07:05,052 This is an extraordinary piece of design, but what I like about it is 121 00:07:05,052 --> 00:07:07,064 that it's also quite ordinary. 122 00:07:07,064 --> 00:07:10,048 Yeah.These are ordinary pieces of wood - 123 00:07:10,048 --> 00:07:13,020 ordinary things that you can get pretty much from anywhere. 124 00:07:13,020 --> 00:07:17,048 Nothing blingy, is there?And it's in ordinary form. Yeah, yeah.This is very, this is the most ordinary 125 00:07:17,048 --> 00:07:21,012 shape of a building. Yeah.And yet, the way you put them together, 126 00:07:21,012 --> 00:07:24,032 the way you place them in a landscape makes them into a piece of 127 00:07:24,032 --> 00:07:25,092 architecture. 128 00:07:25,092 --> 00:07:28,068 CAROLINE EXHALES SLOWLY It's very still. 129 00:07:28,068 --> 00:07:30,096 Isn't it? Yeah.We're very cosseted. 130 00:07:30,096 --> 00:07:37,008 I mean, imagine being here in an ice storm.The trees would be blowing in a crazy way. 131 00:07:37,008 --> 00:07:40,008 The sea would be raging, the sky would change colour. 132 00:07:40,008 --> 00:07:43,000 The sound would be incredible, wouldn't it, with the rain lashing 133 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:44,052 against that window. 134 00:07:46,068 --> 00:07:48,072 Is there anything you'd change about this room? 135 00:07:48,072 --> 00:07:53,048 I yearn, here, to know what the sunset is like. 136 00:07:53,048 --> 00:07:56,080 And if I was sitting here with the sun setting behind the mountains, I 137 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,072 would feel as if I was being denied that.Would you put a little window in there, then? 138 00:08:00,072 --> 00:08:02,076 Maybe at eye level, when you're sitting, 139 00:08:02,076 --> 00:08:04,096 a slot window, to be able to see the view. 140 00:08:04,096 --> 00:08:08,008 But I wonder whether it's again the architect is playing, to deny you 141 00:08:08,008 --> 00:08:11,064 that view, to show you a different view over there that is the rock. 142 00:08:11,064 --> 00:08:14,080 Spectacular that, actually, isn't it?Very different view and very lovely. 143 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,064 Actually, you'd probably always choose to sit at this end of the table, cos then you've got that 144 00:08:18,064 --> 00:08:21,040 and you've got that.This would be my spot. I'm actually not moving. 145 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,096 This is my spot.It would not be your spot. It would be MY spot. 146 00:08:23,096 --> 00:08:25,052 LAUGHTER We're fighting for it! 147 00:08:25,052 --> 00:08:28,052 No, I'd say, "Darling, pass the salt." LAUGHTER 148 00:08:30,096 --> 00:08:34,068 The windows are perfectly placed to respond to key views, but the house 149 00:08:34,068 --> 00:08:36,076 isn't only about landscape. 150 00:08:36,076 --> 00:08:40,012 And, internally, every inch of space is maximised. 151 00:08:41,028 --> 00:08:43,040 I've come across one of these before on a boat. 152 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,044 Space saver.Yeah, space saver. 153 00:08:45,044 --> 00:08:48,076 Not mad keen on them, actually. I'm never quite sure how they function. 154 00:08:48,076 --> 00:08:51,084 Oops. Hang on, how do you use this?What are you doing? 155 00:08:51,084 --> 00:08:55,096 Well, how do you do it?I'll show you. You have to walk like this. 156 00:08:58,048 --> 00:09:02,000 Who wants to walk like that? Any sensible, sane person. 157 00:09:03,068 --> 00:09:05,076 Oh, hi! 158 00:09:05,076 --> 00:09:08,052 That's nice, isn't it? I like the little, sort of, 159 00:09:08,052 --> 00:09:11,020 what do you call it, a gangway? Bridge?Bridge. 160 00:09:11,020 --> 00:09:13,080 Gangway, I like that a lot. It's nice, isn't it? Really nice. 161 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:17,000 There are kids' bedrooms up here. How sweet.Yeah, they're lovely, 162 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,056 actually, they're really under the eaves. 163 00:09:19,056 --> 00:09:21,084 It's a romantic little set-up, actually, isn't it? 164 00:09:21,084 --> 00:09:24,048 Very romantic. Really informal as well. 165 00:09:24,048 --> 00:09:27,044 I think the adults' bedrooms must be down here. 166 00:09:28,088 --> 00:09:32,080 This has got the proper picture windows, so you can lie in bed and 167 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,036 gaze out at the sea birds. 168 00:09:37,012 --> 00:09:41,004 What's nice in here, P, is that you've got this window that opens, 169 00:09:41,004 --> 00:09:43,096 so you've got the breeze coming into the bedroom. 170 00:09:43,096 --> 00:09:46,040 I've got no idea what the problem is with these stairs. 171 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,060 Unless you're Caroline Quentin. 172 00:09:48,060 --> 00:09:51,056 Actually that's really nice - the flap that deals with the ventilation. 173 00:09:51,056 --> 00:09:55,048 You can imagine, on a hot evening, having the view and the sun setting, 174 00:09:55,048 --> 00:09:58,064 and then coming up again moments later and the breeze. 175 00:09:58,064 --> 00:10:01,008 It really feels like you're on holiday all the time. 176 00:10:01,008 --> 00:10:04,036 This is neat, isn't it? It a neat little, little bedroom. 177 00:10:04,036 --> 00:10:06,068 Oh, it's comfortable. Oh, is it bedtime already? 178 00:10:06,068 --> 00:10:10,020 Of course, you know the eiderdown is from Norway originally, and I think 179 00:10:10,020 --> 00:10:13,060 you could tell this one's got plenty of feathers in it. 180 00:10:13,060 --> 00:10:16,028 I think this house is so well insulated that actually you could 181 00:10:16,028 --> 00:10:19,064 probably just sleep in the middle of winter in a howling gale with a sheet or two. 182 00:10:19,064 --> 00:10:22,036 CAROLINE MOCK SNORES I think I bored you to sleep. 183 00:10:24,044 --> 00:10:28,084 Aren't you interested in U-values and insulation thicknesses? 184 00:10:30,008 --> 00:10:31,084 Clearly not. 185 00:10:31,084 --> 00:10:33,036 Heathen. 186 00:10:33,036 --> 00:10:35,000 I know when to take a hint. 187 00:10:36,088 --> 00:10:40,000 I'm meeting the Scandinavian architects, Erik and Victor, whose 188 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,012 passion for working in natural landscapes is what attracted the 189 00:10:43,012 --> 00:10:45,000 owners to commission them. 190 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,056 Tell me about designing a house in this extraordinary landscape. 191 00:10:48,056 --> 00:10:52,048 Well, we kind of very early on realised that we did not want to cut 192 00:10:52,048 --> 00:10:57,016 down any trees. We didn't want to blow away any ground, bedrock, and 193 00:10:57,016 --> 00:11:01,024 we didn't want to, let's says make a house that would dominate the 194 00:11:01,024 --> 00:11:05,024 terrain and would kind of take over. 195 00:11:05,024 --> 00:11:09,024 We had to find a way of sort of landing the building on the ground, 196 00:11:09,024 --> 00:11:11,084 and the traditional way of doing that, 197 00:11:11,084 --> 00:11:14,076 you put it on pillars and you see, sort of, the construction below, 198 00:11:14,076 --> 00:11:16,096 and it's very inelegant. 199 00:11:16,096 --> 00:11:19,060 So we tried to do something else. 200 00:11:19,060 --> 00:11:23,004 The biggest problem here with the house was the wind coming from the 201 00:11:23,004 --> 00:11:26,028 big mountain over there, and it's actually the lifting force that is 202 00:11:26,028 --> 00:11:29,084 the main issue, keeping the house down. 203 00:11:29,084 --> 00:11:32,088 So how is this building anchored down to where it is? 204 00:11:32,088 --> 00:11:37,016 Well, it sits on pretty big concrete columns, actually. 205 00:11:37,016 --> 00:11:41,016 And they sit on reinforcement bars that have been drilled into the 206 00:11:41,016 --> 00:11:43,036 bedrock for 1.5 metres. 207 00:11:44,036 --> 00:11:47,060 What about physically constructing a building with that constraint of 208 00:11:47,060 --> 00:11:49,048 weather and climate? 209 00:11:49,048 --> 00:11:52,052 The hardest part here, constructing it, actually, was getting the 210 00:11:52,052 --> 00:11:54,084 material here without destroying the landscape. 211 00:11:54,084 --> 00:11:58,024 We had this small pathway leading up, of course, but that was only for 212 00:11:58,024 --> 00:12:00,020 carrying small things. 213 00:12:00,020 --> 00:12:04,060 So we constructed a sort of lift and that helped a lot. 214 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,064 Besides this makeshift ramp used to get materials up to the house, 215 00:12:09,064 --> 00:12:12,032 the team, who could only build during the summer months, 216 00:12:12,032 --> 00:12:15,048 also used specialist equipment like this spider crane 217 00:12:15,048 --> 00:12:17,052 to leave a minimal impact on the land. 218 00:12:19,096 --> 00:12:22,004 This looks like it's always been here. 219 00:12:22,004 --> 00:12:25,068 How do you feel about this building and its relationship 220 00:12:25,068 --> 00:12:27,064 to its landscape and its context? 221 00:12:27,064 --> 00:12:30,036 If you think about the roofscape of this house 222 00:12:30,036 --> 00:12:32,036 and the, sort of, landscape around us, 223 00:12:32,036 --> 00:12:36,012 there are small dents and what this actually does is just a tiny little 224 00:12:36,012 --> 00:12:37,076 dent in the landscape. 225 00:12:37,076 --> 00:12:38,080 It's nothing more. 226 00:12:41,004 --> 00:12:43,056 Silvered by time and the elements, 227 00:12:43,056 --> 00:12:47,040 Vega Cottage sits comfortably on the rocky outcrop. 228 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:51,028 It's owned by theatre director Alex Mork-Eidem, who built it 229 00:12:51,028 --> 00:12:55,088 with his siblings as a place to meet and, well, hang out. 230 00:12:58,012 --> 00:13:00,048 I just spotted something out of this window. 231 00:13:00,048 --> 00:13:05,020 They are the two architects and Alex, the owner of this house, 232 00:13:05,020 --> 00:13:08,004 and they're naked over there standing on the rocks, 233 00:13:08,004 --> 00:13:10,036 I think they're about to go into the water. 234 00:13:10,036 --> 00:13:13,060 If that doesn't explain what life in Norway is about, 235 00:13:13,060 --> 00:13:15,072 then I don't know what does. 236 00:13:16,088 --> 00:13:18,092 As if he hadn't revealed enough already, 237 00:13:18,092 --> 00:13:21,092 I caught up with Alex after his dip to find out 238 00:13:21,092 --> 00:13:24,076 what led him to build here in the middle of nowhere 239 00:13:24,076 --> 00:13:26,048 with his brother and sister. 240 00:13:26,048 --> 00:13:32,024 My father was born here, and my grandfather and grandmother lived 241 00:13:32,024 --> 00:13:35,044 here all their lives, my father moved away 242 00:13:35,044 --> 00:13:37,080 but we were here every summer. 243 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,064 It was my childhood paradise. 244 00:13:39,064 --> 00:13:44,020 Was your, sort of, desire to come here, was it about reliving 245 00:13:44,020 --> 00:13:48,068 your childhood, or was it about creating an escape from adult life? 246 00:13:49,092 --> 00:13:53,080 I think it's a need to be alone sometimes. 247 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:58,056 To be really alone and to get some quiet and calm 248 00:13:58,056 --> 00:14:00,084 you don't really get in the city life. 249 00:14:00,084 --> 00:14:04,024 Is that part of the Nordic nature, that you actually want 250 00:14:04,024 --> 00:14:05,056 to get away from everybody else? 251 00:14:05,056 --> 00:14:07,096 Yeah, you don't really want to lie on a beach with everybody else, 252 00:14:07,096 --> 00:14:09,076 you want to have your own beach, 253 00:14:09,076 --> 00:14:13,048 or to find your own mountain to walk up on. 254 00:14:13,048 --> 00:14:17,032 # I would like to leave this city 255 00:14:17,032 --> 00:14:20,032 # This old town don't smell too pretty. # 256 00:14:21,044 --> 00:14:26,028 Alex and his siblings now have their very own fabulous family escape 257 00:14:26,028 --> 00:14:30,044 to gather in, and share with future generations. 258 00:14:30,044 --> 00:14:35,048 What I really love about the house is how completely unobtrusive it is. 259 00:14:36,060 --> 00:14:40,028 Most important for us that it feels like it was part of nature. 260 00:14:43,020 --> 00:14:45,052 It's very nice to be around, I have to say. 261 00:14:45,052 --> 00:14:47,072 It's really... I mean, in all senses. 262 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,020 It's not a show-offy house is it? 263 00:14:52,020 --> 00:14:53,080 It's a very Norwegian house. 264 00:14:55,092 --> 00:14:58,000 # You're half the world away 265 00:14:59,052 --> 00:15:03,068 # You're half the world away. # 266 00:15:06,064 --> 00:15:10,072 It's quite one of the most spectacular spots I've ever been to. 267 00:15:12,036 --> 00:15:14,024 Look at the view. 268 00:15:14,024 --> 00:15:17,084 And look at the fishing huts there. 269 00:15:18,092 --> 00:15:23,040 And then looking back at the cottage there and in hundreds of years, 270 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,056 this architecture hasn't really moved very far, has it? 271 00:15:26,056 --> 00:15:31,068 But I like that sense of using thousands of years of knowledge, 272 00:15:31,068 --> 00:15:36,064 and doing something that builds on that, doesn't have to try 273 00:15:36,064 --> 00:15:39,032 and be clever for the sake of it. 274 00:15:39,032 --> 00:15:40,080 It's a very modest building. 275 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,032 For a very modest client, actually. 276 00:15:43,060 --> 00:15:47,016 I'm wondering as we go forward on our travels in Norway, 277 00:15:47,016 --> 00:15:50,036 whether we are going to find any different sorts of architecture? 278 00:15:50,036 --> 00:15:54,036 I think we're in for some surprises. 279 00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:57,008 There is still a place for not doing this. 280 00:15:57,008 --> 00:16:00,060 For actually breaking out of the mould, but in this landscape, 281 00:16:00,060 --> 00:16:05,032 I think that this utilitarian way of building really works. 282 00:16:05,032 --> 00:16:08,016 I think it's utterly charming and discreet, 283 00:16:08,016 --> 00:16:10,000 and just a little treasure. 284 00:16:12,064 --> 00:16:15,096 The second stop on our Nordic adventure takes us to a home 285 00:16:15,096 --> 00:16:20,020 that couldn't be more different than the traditional houses of Norway. 286 00:16:23,032 --> 00:16:25,084 We're heading for Valldal, to a mountainside 287 00:16:25,084 --> 00:16:29,020 overlooking the stunning Norwegian fjord lands. 288 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:36,044 It's so lovely to look up and see these trees 289 00:16:36,044 --> 00:16:39,080 just cladding the hillsides, but it's even nicer 290 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,076 to be in amongst the trees. 291 00:16:41,076 --> 00:16:46,036 It is and this is the Norway that I think of, these pine forests, 292 00:16:46,036 --> 00:16:49,044 interspersed with the silver birches but with the fjords below. 293 00:16:50,092 --> 00:16:52,088 The landscape may be typical, 294 00:16:52,088 --> 00:16:55,072 the house we're headed for is anything but. 295 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,056 This one breaks all the rules. 296 00:17:03,072 --> 00:17:07,020 Almost like an eagle's nest built on a precipitous cliff, 297 00:17:07,020 --> 00:17:10,068 this house is the work of renowned Norwegian architects who have a 298 00:17:10,068 --> 00:17:12,056 reputation for innovation. 299 00:17:14,012 --> 00:17:18,008 # Born to be wild. # 300 00:17:18,008 --> 00:17:20,008 This is Summer House. 301 00:17:20,008 --> 00:17:22,076 # Born to be wild. # 302 00:17:25,012 --> 00:17:28,000 Woo-hoo! It's quite incredible, actually! 303 00:17:29,004 --> 00:17:31,012 It's great. It's brilliant, isn't it? 304 00:17:31,012 --> 00:17:33,016 It's like a grown-ups' treehouse, really, isn't it? 305 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,008 I mean, I think a complex site, steeply sloping with a view 306 00:17:38,008 --> 00:17:42,064 in the trees, for me, personally, is perfect. 307 00:17:44,020 --> 00:17:46,072 I want to go and find out how it actually stands up here. 308 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:49,004 I'm going in. 309 00:17:50,088 --> 00:17:53,076 There's no road access here. 310 00:17:53,076 --> 00:17:56,064 But hopefully the house will be worth the hike. 311 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:07,076 This is something else. 312 00:18:14,092 --> 00:18:18,096 I've seen houses built into rock but this is the first rock 313 00:18:18,096 --> 00:18:21,044 I've ever seen that's built into a house. 314 00:18:23,064 --> 00:18:27,092 It's got to be one of the most exciting rooms I've ever been in. 315 00:18:27,092 --> 00:18:30,024 And not at all what I expected. 316 00:18:30,024 --> 00:18:31,072 Just look at that! 317 00:18:35,016 --> 00:18:40,076 The fact that it just slides into that concrete fireplace. 318 00:18:40,076 --> 00:18:42,064 But this is incredible. 319 00:18:42,064 --> 00:18:46,004 This rock, you can see the strata all the way through 320 00:18:46,004 --> 00:18:48,084 and it acts as a back plate here on the fire 321 00:18:48,084 --> 00:18:51,068 so the heat will bounce off, into the room. 322 00:18:51,068 --> 00:18:53,088 This is so thrilling to be in. 323 00:19:03,008 --> 00:19:06,032 It's really, erm... it's a work of art. 324 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,044 By shaping the house around the cliff face, 325 00:19:12,044 --> 00:19:16,048 the architect has created a series of volumes that redefine our notion 326 00:19:16,048 --> 00:19:17,072 of what rooms are. 327 00:19:19,064 --> 00:19:23,092 This isn't simply one big house subdivided by internal walls, 328 00:19:23,092 --> 00:19:27,008 this is more a series of interlinked spaces and pods 329 00:19:27,008 --> 00:19:29,020 built around the rock. 330 00:19:31,004 --> 00:19:34,068 The entrance leads you to a huge double-height main living space 331 00:19:34,068 --> 00:19:38,036 with its striking exposed rock face. 332 00:19:38,036 --> 00:19:42,092 Then, traversing the mountain is a dining area and an open-plan kitchen 333 00:19:42,092 --> 00:19:45,044 that flow out onto a deck and an infinity pool 334 00:19:45,044 --> 00:19:48,048 that overhang the cliff face. 335 00:19:48,048 --> 00:19:50,020 And, of course, there's a sauna. 336 00:19:50,020 --> 00:19:54,080 A level up, held up on timber columns, 337 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,060 are five bedrooms with their own balconies. 338 00:19:57,060 --> 00:20:01,092 A green roof, and those incredible views across the fjord. 339 00:20:03,036 --> 00:20:04,060 Look at this. 340 00:20:11,020 --> 00:20:14,004 I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in 341 00:20:14,004 --> 00:20:17,008 and I've only been here for a few moments. 342 00:20:17,008 --> 00:20:21,036 This place is like a seven-year-old has been given a massive uplift 343 00:20:21,036 --> 00:20:24,008 in their pocket money and they have been allowed to build 344 00:20:24,008 --> 00:20:26,096 whatever they want in their treehouse. 345 00:20:26,096 --> 00:20:29,028 I like that seven-year-old. 346 00:20:29,028 --> 00:20:31,080 I am that seven-year-old! I love it. 347 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,020 And what have we here? 348 00:20:41,020 --> 00:20:42,024 I don't know. 349 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,064 Yes, I do know. 350 00:20:46,064 --> 00:20:47,068 It's a sauna. 351 00:20:50,008 --> 00:20:51,096 It's ludicrously good, this house. 352 00:20:55,036 --> 00:20:59,048 The man responsible for this design is Jan Jensen, whose award-winning 353 00:20:59,048 --> 00:21:02,012 projects have earned him an international reputation. 354 00:21:03,096 --> 00:21:07,032 His work draws on Norwegian modernism while connecting deeply 355 00:21:07,032 --> 00:21:08,088 with the landscape. 356 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:16,084 This is a steep slope with masses of trees, a dense tree canopy, 357 00:21:16,084 --> 00:21:20,084 limited access. Tell me about beginning to fit 358 00:21:20,084 --> 00:21:25,012 the building to this.We tried, as much as possible, 359 00:21:25,012 --> 00:21:28,036 to adjust the building to the site, not the opposite way, 360 00:21:28,036 --> 00:21:30,072 which is the usual way in architecture. 361 00:21:30,072 --> 00:21:34,044 What about the experience of being in this forest? 362 00:21:34,044 --> 00:21:40,080 I think, for me and the client, one important aspect was the memory 363 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,096 of play when they were a small boy, 364 00:21:43,096 --> 00:21:47,068 they built small houses up in the trees. 365 00:21:47,068 --> 00:21:53,060 It is kind of this dream of this extreme freedom you had 366 00:21:53,060 --> 00:21:56,028 to do anything up there. 367 00:21:58,052 --> 00:22:01,064 This site came with real difficulties - and translating 368 00:22:01,064 --> 00:22:06,020 a complex set of ideas into a built structure was a huge challenge. 369 00:22:08,036 --> 00:22:11,064 With such limited access, the largest components 370 00:22:11,064 --> 00:22:13,016 had to be airlifted in. 371 00:22:13,016 --> 00:22:16,080 With an 800kg limit on what could be carried, 372 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,060 it took 17 separate flights. 373 00:22:20,076 --> 00:22:24,004 And just getting the scaffold up in this tricky terrain 374 00:22:24,004 --> 00:22:26,028 was an achievement in itself. 375 00:22:31,084 --> 00:22:38,052 This is the most extraordinary piece of bedrock, that becomes the house. 376 00:22:38,052 --> 00:22:43,060 We could have pushed the house three or four metres away from this 377 00:22:43,060 --> 00:22:45,092 and have the concrete walls here, for instance. 378 00:22:47,032 --> 00:22:51,040 I think, probably, you would have a lot of the same qualities, 379 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:56,092 but not the wall. We try to make all our buildings in the way 380 00:22:56,092 --> 00:23:00,008 that they could not be repeated. 381 00:23:00,008 --> 00:23:02,072 It's more like a painting, an original, 382 00:23:02,072 --> 00:23:05,008 than something you can duplicate. 383 00:23:07,064 --> 00:23:10,024 Allowing the cliff face to flow into the living room 384 00:23:10,024 --> 00:23:12,044 meant cutting a perfectly straight channel 385 00:23:12,044 --> 00:23:16,060 before making wooden templates and individual glass panels to fit. 386 00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:20,076 So that all you can see is either glass, or rock, and no frame. 387 00:23:23,076 --> 00:23:26,060 There's very little that's concealed here. 388 00:23:26,060 --> 00:23:32,036 There are no finishes that I can see anywhere, that stops a material 389 00:23:32,036 --> 00:23:34,072 reading as the material itself. 390 00:23:35,072 --> 00:23:37,060 That's quite unusual. 391 00:23:37,060 --> 00:23:40,088 It's not finished in the conventional way 392 00:23:40,088 --> 00:23:43,036 that most architecture is finished. 393 00:23:43,036 --> 00:23:47,004 Fairly basic materials like plywood are all on display 394 00:23:47,004 --> 00:23:48,080 with steel and glass. 395 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,060 Even the staircase is cold, exposed mild steel, 396 00:23:51,060 --> 00:23:54,060 but with a leather binding that adds warmth. 397 00:23:54,060 --> 00:23:58,012 I think it is beautiful that you have individual steps. 398 00:23:58,012 --> 00:24:00,076 All of them are different if you look at them. 399 00:24:00,076 --> 00:24:03,092 If you paint them, that individuality will disappear. 400 00:24:05,052 --> 00:24:11,028 For me, it has a kind of poetry in it, that you do not conceal 401 00:24:11,028 --> 00:24:14,036 the history of everything. 402 00:24:14,036 --> 00:24:19,052 I think it gives the architecture a richness that you cannot get 403 00:24:19,052 --> 00:24:21,028 when you conceal everything. 404 00:24:25,016 --> 00:24:29,036 The entire experience of this house is a revelation. 405 00:24:29,036 --> 00:24:32,060 Even usually mundane spaces, like the kitchen, 406 00:24:32,060 --> 00:24:34,084 are adventurous and dramatic. 407 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:39,052 I can imagine myself having dinner here with the family. 408 00:24:39,052 --> 00:24:44,008 There's a brilliant inset of slate here to put your hot pot on, 409 00:24:44,008 --> 00:24:46,056 your casserole, your coq au vin. 410 00:24:46,056 --> 00:24:48,036 And I love this. 411 00:24:48,036 --> 00:24:55,096 All it is, is a series of LEDs into a steel and wooden frame. 412 00:24:55,096 --> 00:24:58,028 It's truly beautiful. 413 00:24:58,028 --> 00:25:01,068 In fact, I wouldn't have supper here with my family, 414 00:25:01,068 --> 00:25:03,048 I'd have supper here with George Clooney. 415 00:25:05,088 --> 00:25:08,012 George, pass the cider. 416 00:25:13,036 --> 00:25:16,040 Much of this building's vitality is in the materials, 417 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,012 whether refined or raw. 418 00:25:19,012 --> 00:25:23,040 Like the thousands of split shingles which add to the tree house feel, 419 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:26,000 and connect you directly to the forest outside. 420 00:25:27,068 --> 00:25:31,032 And you've used cedar shingles on the outside? 421 00:25:31,032 --> 00:25:34,040 It's the core of the pine trees. 422 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:38,092 It keeps for a long time, much longer than the outer part 423 00:25:38,092 --> 00:25:45,000 of the wood. It's cut by an axe, that's why it is kind of rugged. 424 00:25:46,020 --> 00:25:49,096 The reason is that it will keep for a much longer time 425 00:25:49,096 --> 00:25:52,056 because we don't cut the fibres. 426 00:25:52,056 --> 00:25:56,080 This is a super old tradition in Norway, and actually, 427 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,012 the Vikings did the same thing. 428 00:25:59,012 --> 00:26:02,076 It's in the bedroom pods where you really feel the sensation 429 00:26:02,076 --> 00:26:04,092 of living in the tree canopy, 430 00:26:04,092 --> 00:26:08,056 and with no curtains one could easily spot the Vikings coming up 431 00:26:08,056 --> 00:26:11,040 the fjords in their longboats. 432 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,044 Not so much a bedroom, more a nest. 433 00:26:14,076 --> 00:26:16,084 Look at my nest in the trees. 434 00:26:18,088 --> 00:26:23,060 I could be a little bird in here, just sitting up in the treetops. 435 00:26:23,060 --> 00:26:25,036 I'd love to wake up here, 436 00:26:25,036 --> 00:26:27,088 hear the early morning birdsong and the sunlight filtering 437 00:26:27,088 --> 00:26:29,048 through the pines. 438 00:26:34,008 --> 00:26:36,056 BIRDS SINGING 439 00:26:36,056 --> 00:26:37,068 Just the peace. 440 00:26:42,004 --> 00:26:45,028 I don't really think you can ask for much more from a bedroom 441 00:26:45,028 --> 00:26:48,020 than be in your own little nest, a little aerie, 442 00:26:48,020 --> 00:26:49,096 on top of a pine tree. 443 00:26:51,012 --> 00:26:52,044 Looking down on everything. 444 00:26:52,044 --> 00:26:57,088 What you haven't got, which I've got, is the brilliant smell of pine. 445 00:26:59,064 --> 00:27:00,088 Utterly enchanting. 446 00:27:04,056 --> 00:27:08,028 This close relationship to nature was an essential aspect 447 00:27:08,028 --> 00:27:11,096 to Jan's design, who resisted suggestions to dynamite the bedrock 448 00:27:11,096 --> 00:27:14,044 to make the construction simpler. 449 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:22,068 If you took this building away in five years, ten years, 50 years, 450 00:27:22,068 --> 00:27:26,008 what would the site be like? Almost as it was. 451 00:27:26,008 --> 00:27:30,028 I think, for us, it is a great ideal to do something 452 00:27:30,028 --> 00:27:34,024 and then you can reverse it, just like when you pitch a tent 453 00:27:34,024 --> 00:27:35,032 in the forest. 454 00:27:36,032 --> 00:27:38,032 That's the way we think about architecture. 455 00:27:40,008 --> 00:27:42,048 The house may sit here as lightly as a tent 456 00:27:42,048 --> 00:27:44,040 but it's a lot more comfortable. 457 00:27:46,028 --> 00:27:49,072 This place connects one so dynamically to nature. 458 00:27:51,012 --> 00:27:53,048 It's both visceral and invigorating. 459 00:27:57,036 --> 00:28:00,008 Everything here is out of the ordinary. 460 00:28:03,076 --> 00:28:08,028 I've discovered the coolest box of matches have ever seen in my life. 461 00:28:08,028 --> 00:28:11,040 That is a firelighter and a match all rolled up in one 462 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:15,016 in a beautiful box. That's all I want for Christmas forever. 463 00:28:15,016 --> 00:28:20,000 What you do with that is light it and then that is your firelighter. 464 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,044 You put it in your woodpile. 465 00:28:23,072 --> 00:28:26,080 And there, in a minute, will be a beautiful fire. 466 00:28:31,028 --> 00:28:33,084 Summer House is a really elemental home. 467 00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:38,060 The site is very natural and untamed. 468 00:28:40,064 --> 00:28:43,072 The architect has used basic materials, including glass, 469 00:28:43,072 --> 00:28:47,068 concrete and steel, very delicately and in a way that redefines 470 00:28:47,068 --> 00:28:50,024 what a house and a room can be. 471 00:28:53,068 --> 00:28:55,040 We're so fixated of what a room is, 472 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:58,056 my living room, it's got four walls, and a door into it. 473 00:28:58,056 --> 00:29:00,052 This doesn't have four walls or a door into it, 474 00:29:00,052 --> 00:29:02,052 it's a completely different sort of space. 475 00:29:02,052 --> 00:29:04,012 I mean, it's saying a lot, this house, 476 00:29:04,012 --> 00:29:07,060 but what does this house say about Norwegian architecture? 477 00:29:07,060 --> 00:29:11,024 It says that you don't always have to hark back to an idea 478 00:29:11,024 --> 00:29:13,044 about the past and a vernacular. 479 00:29:13,044 --> 00:29:16,072 It says, to be specific and rooted in one context, 480 00:29:16,072 --> 00:29:19,080 you can respond to the actual fabric of the geography 481 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,020 and there you have a truly Norwegian house 482 00:29:22,020 --> 00:29:24,040 because it couldn't be anywhere else. 483 00:29:36,004 --> 00:29:39,068 From a home born of the Norwegian natural landscape to one 484 00:29:39,068 --> 00:29:43,084 that strays furthest from many Norwegian norms and traditions. 485 00:29:45,052 --> 00:29:47,096 Next, we are going to Ottestad, 486 00:29:47,096 --> 00:29:51,072 a picturesque, charming lakeside community. 487 00:29:53,032 --> 00:29:56,016 And with such typically Norwegian surroundings, 488 00:29:56,016 --> 00:29:59,052 we could only arrive in the traditional way. 489 00:29:59,052 --> 00:30:03,020 I have never done Nordic Pole walking before. 490 00:30:03,020 --> 00:30:05,084 You couldn't tell, you handle it beautifully. 491 00:30:05,084 --> 00:30:07,032 But then you wouldn't know if I was doing it wrong. 492 00:30:08,036 --> 00:30:11,024 You don't know, I might be a Nordic Pole expert, for all you know. 493 00:30:12,064 --> 00:30:15,040 This is the biggest lake in Norway, Piers. 494 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,072 It's quite extraordinarily beautiful and yet, somehow, 495 00:30:17,072 --> 00:30:21,048 really quite suburban.I quite like it that, even in the suburbs, 496 00:30:21,048 --> 00:30:24,012 you have the wilderness right here. 497 00:30:27,004 --> 00:30:31,036 These elegant homes are exactly what we'd expect to find in Norway. 498 00:30:31,036 --> 00:30:34,076 But we're here to visit a family who dared to be different. 499 00:30:35,084 --> 00:30:39,056 Not at all what I was expecting in this environment. 500 00:30:43,092 --> 00:30:48,052 Solid and resolute, Concrete House stands proudly over the lake, 501 00:30:48,052 --> 00:30:52,088 with its facade of seemingly random openings sitting defiantly 502 00:30:52,088 --> 00:30:55,072 in cold, grey concrete among its neighbours. 503 00:30:59,024 --> 00:31:02,004 OK, what's the first adjective that springs to mind? 504 00:31:02,004 --> 00:31:05,012 Harsh.I think quirky. 505 00:31:05,012 --> 00:31:06,028 Quirky, OK. 506 00:31:07,084 --> 00:31:10,048 Hospital is another word that springs to mind. 507 00:31:10,048 --> 00:31:12,052 Quirky hospital.Brutal hospital. 508 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,096 Why hospital?Well, it just reminds me of all the hospitals 509 00:31:16,096 --> 00:31:19,092 I've ever visited, really.It would be great if they were this good. 510 00:31:21,056 --> 00:31:24,016 Mm, I'm not bowled over. 511 00:31:24,016 --> 00:31:26,076 For me, the clinical exterior isn't very inviting 512 00:31:26,076 --> 00:31:30,004 but if Piers has taught me anything about architecture, 513 00:31:30,004 --> 00:31:32,016 it's not to judge a book by its cover. 514 00:31:35,036 --> 00:31:37,024 Oh! 515 00:31:37,024 --> 00:31:38,076 This is lovely in here. 516 00:31:39,096 --> 00:31:43,036 I'm really surprised because it wasn't love at first sight, 517 00:31:43,036 --> 00:31:44,040 for me, at all. 518 00:31:45,036 --> 00:31:50,076 # I am beautiful no matter what they say. # 519 00:31:50,076 --> 00:31:54,088 From outside, I couldn't understand what was going on in here. 520 00:31:54,088 --> 00:31:57,076 But it makes sense, and it's beautiful. 521 00:31:57,076 --> 00:32:02,096 # I am beautiful, in every single way 522 00:32:02,096 --> 00:32:07,084 # Yes, words can't bring me down 523 00:32:07,084 --> 00:32:10,048 # Oh, oh, no 524 00:32:10,048 --> 00:32:15,012 # So don't you bring me down today. # 525 00:32:15,012 --> 00:32:17,012 It's quite church-like in here. 526 00:32:17,012 --> 00:32:20,044 I'm surprised because the dimensions and proportions, 527 00:32:20,044 --> 00:32:23,016 are normal domestic proportions. Except for the height. 528 00:32:23,016 --> 00:32:27,000 Maybe it's that. There's a sort of cathedral-like quality. 529 00:32:39,048 --> 00:32:40,088 It's very peaceful. 530 00:32:40,088 --> 00:32:43,040 Isn't it? 531 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:47,088 So quiet.I've never experienced this type of quiet in my house. 532 00:32:49,044 --> 00:32:51,076 I quite like it.Too many children. 533 00:32:51,076 --> 00:32:55,076 Not enough doors!There's something about the masonry, 534 00:32:55,076 --> 00:33:01,072 the heaviness of this concrete that gives you a sense of that silence. 535 00:33:01,072 --> 00:33:04,008 I love the turn of the stairs, 536 00:33:04,008 --> 00:33:07,028 they make me want to quietly go upstairs, and explore upstairs. 537 00:33:07,028 --> 00:33:09,080 I'm going to check out these ones... OK...see where we end up. 538 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,084 Yeah, give me a shout. 539 00:33:20,088 --> 00:33:23,076 You'd never guess from the outside, but, internally, 540 00:33:23,076 --> 00:33:27,020 the house has a simple three-storey layout. 541 00:33:27,020 --> 00:33:31,032 Dug into a sloping site, the ground floor is a large guest suite 542 00:33:31,032 --> 00:33:33,076 with enclosed terrace and storage. 543 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,012 The main family spaces are raised up on the first floor 544 00:33:38,012 --> 00:33:41,052 with an open-plan kitchen, dining, living room and library 545 00:33:41,052 --> 00:33:42,064 that face the lake. 546 00:33:44,012 --> 00:33:47,056 There's also a TV room, a family wardrobe and garage. 547 00:33:49,084 --> 00:33:52,012 Above, along with the laundry room, 548 00:33:52,012 --> 00:33:56,016 are three bedrooms organised around an open landing that looks down 549 00:33:56,016 --> 00:33:59,048 onto the living spaces below, and to the lake outside. 550 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,088 This actually made my heart beat a little faster, 551 00:34:04,088 --> 00:34:08,036 because we're not just double height here, 552 00:34:08,036 --> 00:34:12,060 it's a very, very long distance between this balcony 553 00:34:12,060 --> 00:34:15,036 and then the drop into the atrium, 554 00:34:15,036 --> 00:34:18,052 into the kitchen downstairs and then there's another floor, 555 00:34:18,052 --> 00:34:20,024 I can see, downstairs. 556 00:34:20,024 --> 00:34:23,052 It is quite exciting, actually. 557 00:34:23,052 --> 00:34:28,008 I've just seen what I think is going to be my favourite window, 558 00:34:28,008 --> 00:34:33,096 in the whole house. And in it, I've just got a perfect golden section 559 00:34:33,096 --> 00:34:39,008 of land, boats, little bit of sky. 560 00:34:39,008 --> 00:34:40,092 And then that wonderful lake. 561 00:34:41,096 --> 00:34:45,012 I think I've found my favourite place in the house. 562 00:34:45,012 --> 00:34:49,044 But the windows here do so much more than selectively framing views. 563 00:34:53,072 --> 00:34:55,076 Often, you might think a window is just a window 564 00:34:55,076 --> 00:34:58,088 and you stick it in the middle of a wall, and you're done. 565 00:34:58,088 --> 00:35:03,004 But, here, that is an eccentric window which is just about bringing 566 00:35:03,004 --> 00:35:06,024 a very diffused light into the bedroom - allows you, 567 00:35:06,024 --> 00:35:10,096 when you are in bed, to see the sky. There is a ventilation panel, 568 00:35:10,096 --> 00:35:13,024 there's a few down to where the boats are. 569 00:35:14,048 --> 00:35:16,056 Then there is a composed view, 570 00:35:16,056 --> 00:35:19,072 a beautiful picture of the headland opposite. 571 00:35:19,072 --> 00:35:21,060 And, then, of course, when you're lying in bed, 572 00:35:21,060 --> 00:35:24,048 there is this south-facing window which is the solar gain you get, 573 00:35:24,048 --> 00:35:26,048 to heat the room up. 574 00:35:26,048 --> 00:35:30,028 It's a perfect study in how to make a series of openings 575 00:35:30,028 --> 00:35:32,056 that bring a room to life. 576 00:35:36,076 --> 00:35:38,088 There's very little colour used here. 577 00:35:38,088 --> 00:35:41,072 Like a gallery, walls are predominantly white. 578 00:35:41,072 --> 00:35:44,064 But whether it's the main living spaces or just a bathroom, 579 00:35:44,064 --> 00:35:47,060 there's never a lack of interest. 580 00:35:47,060 --> 00:35:51,044 You shower under the light, you bathe in the view. 581 00:35:52,052 --> 00:35:57,012 But, also, it's a very textured room, which I hadn't expected. 582 00:35:57,012 --> 00:35:58,056 No colour, all texture. 583 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,012 On one hand, this is a white painted concrete box 584 00:36:03,012 --> 00:36:05,060 but it's also full of joy and delight. 585 00:36:07,088 --> 00:36:08,092 Piers! 586 00:36:10,012 --> 00:36:12,088 Hi, Caroline. What have you discovered? 587 00:36:12,088 --> 00:36:14,088 I've got bedrooms up here. 588 00:36:14,088 --> 00:36:18,096 I've got a little chap's bedroom and a little girl's bedroom. 589 00:36:18,096 --> 00:36:21,088 What have you got?I've just been enjoying the multiple ways 590 00:36:21,088 --> 00:36:23,076 you can get around this building. 591 00:36:23,076 --> 00:36:26,020 You don't need all these staircases but they're great. 592 00:36:26,020 --> 00:36:28,072 I love the theatre of them popping out and, 593 00:36:28,072 --> 00:36:31,016 you know, being able to say, "Hello." 594 00:36:31,016 --> 00:36:34,060 Is it more fun than you thought it was going to be? 595 00:36:34,060 --> 00:36:35,084 Yeah, much more fun. 596 00:36:35,084 --> 00:36:40,032 I mean, it looks like quite an austere house but, actually, 597 00:36:40,032 --> 00:36:44,048 on top of that, there's also this layer of playfulness and whimsy, 598 00:36:44,048 --> 00:36:48,004 which I think is really quite unexpected in Norway. 599 00:36:48,004 --> 00:36:52,000 It's wonderful that the windows are set so far forward 600 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,040 that you get so much reflection. 601 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:58,024 You do. All of these windows just become mirrors for the landscape. 602 00:36:58,024 --> 00:37:01,016 I'll see you downstairs. 603 00:37:01,016 --> 00:37:02,064 OK. See you in a bit. 604 00:37:07,020 --> 00:37:08,044 In a place like this, 605 00:37:08,044 --> 00:37:11,012 it's obvious that the main living spaces should face the view 606 00:37:11,012 --> 00:37:15,076 and the light, making the spaces at the back harder to resolve. 607 00:37:18,084 --> 00:37:21,032 SHE WHOOPS WITH EXCITMENT 608 00:37:22,064 --> 00:37:25,092 I never knew a simple TV room could be so pleasing. 609 00:37:25,092 --> 00:37:27,092 This is so cool. 610 00:37:27,092 --> 00:37:32,068 Just when I was being fooled into thinking this is quite a domestic, 611 00:37:32,068 --> 00:37:37,008 quite, you know, homely, in a way sort of ordinary home, 612 00:37:37,008 --> 00:37:39,068 you've suddenly got a little telly room like this. 613 00:37:39,068 --> 00:37:41,088 Tucked away.And it's comfy. 614 00:37:41,088 --> 00:37:43,044 It's so comfy. 615 00:37:45,008 --> 00:37:46,012 This carpet, of course, 616 00:37:46,012 --> 00:37:49,044 which wraps up and makes somewhere comfortable to sit on, 617 00:37:49,044 --> 00:37:51,076 also is there because it's good acoustically. 618 00:37:51,076 --> 00:37:53,072 Deadens the sound.And there's obviously some acoustic thing 619 00:37:53,072 --> 00:37:56,028 happening with the ceiling. I quite like the way the telly 620 00:37:56,028 --> 00:37:59,096 doesn't dominate the house. You just go into a glorified cupboard. 621 00:37:59,096 --> 00:38:02,048 Yeah.Covered in carpet to go and watch telly. 622 00:38:02,048 --> 00:38:04,092 Yeah. Shut the door. 623 00:38:04,092 --> 00:38:07,052 Children out there, adults in here. 624 00:38:07,052 --> 00:38:10,068 A pint. 625 00:38:10,068 --> 00:38:12,052 Gin and tonic. A pint of gin and tonic? 626 00:38:13,072 --> 00:38:14,076 OK. 627 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:21,056 This hard exterior hides an interior that is human, relaxed and informal. 628 00:38:22,068 --> 00:38:27,056 But, back in 2005, all that was here was a dilapidated house for sale. 629 00:38:28,092 --> 00:38:33,000 For Tom Olaf and his wife, Urda, this was the opportunity 630 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,016 of a lifetime, to be able to live by the lake, 631 00:38:36,016 --> 00:38:39,068 but their new house would not only dwarf what was there originally, 632 00:38:39,068 --> 00:38:42,068 it would also raise a few eyebrows. 633 00:38:42,068 --> 00:38:48,004 This is a house that is not like its neighbours, and totally unlike 634 00:38:48,004 --> 00:38:50,088 traditional, Norwegian, suburban architecture. 635 00:38:51,092 --> 00:38:53,096 What do your neighbours think of this house? 636 00:38:53,096 --> 00:38:58,020 Well, I guess some of them like it and some don't. 637 00:38:58,020 --> 00:39:01,092 The worst thing we have heard is maybe that someone asks, 638 00:39:01,092 --> 00:39:04,072 "What is this? Is this a prison?" 639 00:39:04,072 --> 00:39:08,084 So, the people are not so used to concrete, I guess. 640 00:39:08,084 --> 00:39:10,076 We have always liked concrete. 641 00:39:10,076 --> 00:39:14,092 The architect here said we could use some bricks, you know. 642 00:39:14,092 --> 00:39:16,092 We like concrete better. 643 00:39:17,088 --> 00:39:23,012 There's been quite a journey to a place which is an extraordinary, 644 00:39:23,012 --> 00:39:27,024 modern building. Where did that journey begin in your own mind? 645 00:39:27,024 --> 00:39:33,060 When I was a small boy, I was always interested in minimalistic houses, 646 00:39:33,060 --> 00:39:37,068 minimalistic design. So, this is my dream. 647 00:39:39,064 --> 00:39:44,060 The architect entrusted to deliver that dream was Carl-Viggo Holmebakk, 648 00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:47,032 who was clearly not afraid to challenge convention. 649 00:39:48,096 --> 00:39:51,036 When I first approached the house this morning, 650 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:58,052 I was surprised at how austere it was, how almost... 651 00:39:58,052 --> 00:40:00,012 ..uninviting. 652 00:40:00,012 --> 00:40:03,088 I think the exterior of the house has a sculptural quality 653 00:40:03,088 --> 00:40:10,060 to it and we worked a lot to almost try to erase the traditional image 654 00:40:10,060 --> 00:40:16,068 of a building, of storeys, all the windows floating in the facade. 655 00:40:16,068 --> 00:40:20,008 It does something also with the scale, because you can't understand 656 00:40:20,008 --> 00:40:21,036 how many floors it is. 657 00:40:21,036 --> 00:40:23,076 We're used to saying, "Oh, that must be a bathroom 658 00:40:23,076 --> 00:40:26,040 "because it's a small window. That must be a bedroom." 659 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:31,080 This house plays with your sense of space and scale all the time, 660 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:34,060 doesn't it, from outside? It's quite... 661 00:40:34,060 --> 00:40:36,016 ..it's disconcerting. 662 00:40:36,016 --> 00:40:40,076 You know, we built a platform here at the site 663 00:40:40,076 --> 00:40:43,056 before we started to draw. 664 00:40:43,056 --> 00:40:47,044 And, again, this idea started to come that maybe it would be 665 00:40:47,044 --> 00:40:52,024 even more interesting to mask out some different views, 666 00:40:52,024 --> 00:40:55,032 not to have everything all the time. 667 00:40:55,032 --> 00:40:58,080 So, when you are inside the house, 668 00:40:58,080 --> 00:41:03,012 each opening is really very well thought about. 669 00:41:03,012 --> 00:41:06,084 It's not just a random composition of funny windows. 670 00:41:12,044 --> 00:41:15,092 In a country with such a strong tradition of timber construction, 671 00:41:15,092 --> 00:41:18,088 building with concrete was always going to be a risk. 672 00:41:18,088 --> 00:41:22,020 The contractors were effectively learning during the process, 673 00:41:22,020 --> 00:41:27,044 casting huge slabs, more typical of building car parks than homes. 674 00:41:27,044 --> 00:41:29,096 These lessons proved expensive for Tom and Urda, 675 00:41:29,096 --> 00:41:32,044 doubling their budget, and tripling the duration 676 00:41:32,044 --> 00:41:33,072 of the building process. 677 00:41:34,096 --> 00:41:37,036 How long did it take from start to finish? 678 00:41:38,056 --> 00:41:40,020 Um... Five years, I think. 679 00:41:40,020 --> 00:41:43,052 It was, you know, at times quite frustrating 680 00:41:43,052 --> 00:41:46,004 but now we are satisfied, at least. 681 00:41:46,004 --> 00:41:49,016 What do you think your favourite place in this house is? 682 00:41:49,016 --> 00:41:51,000 What we love most about the house, I guess, 683 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:52,088 is the ability to look at nature 684 00:41:52,088 --> 00:41:56,020 and also watch the different seasons change. 685 00:41:57,024 --> 00:42:00,064 These kind of big windows were supposed to be like paintings, 686 00:42:00,064 --> 00:42:03,016 new picture on every wall, kind of like art. 687 00:42:05,076 --> 00:42:08,064 Concrete House is a home and a gallery, 688 00:42:08,064 --> 00:42:12,036 where the architect has curated some of nature's finest work. 689 00:42:12,036 --> 00:42:15,080 Spending the day here, it's easy to see how living 690 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:19,012 amongst these masterpieces is an endless joy. 691 00:42:19,012 --> 00:42:23,024 But then, this house is a bit of a masterpiece in itself. 692 00:42:23,024 --> 00:42:26,040 I don't feel the same about it now. 693 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:28,092 You feel a bit friendlier towards it?Yeah, I do. 694 00:42:30,028 --> 00:42:32,048 It's very interesting, you know, your, 695 00:42:32,048 --> 00:42:37,080 or one's perception of something can change, I mean, 696 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,036 so dramatically, really. 697 00:42:40,036 --> 00:42:43,072 It's austere on the outside, but on the inside it is rather lovely. 698 00:42:43,072 --> 00:42:45,080 A bit like you, Piers. 699 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:47,060 Are you saying I'm not lovely on the outside? 700 00:42:47,060 --> 00:42:50,056 No, you are, you're lovely but you can be quite austere, 701 00:42:50,056 --> 00:42:54,000 and a bit unnerving. What do you mean?I know on the inside, 702 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:56,088 you're as soft as anything, you know? But, actually, 703 00:42:56,088 --> 00:42:58,096 you just take a bit of getting used to. 704 00:43:00,064 --> 00:43:01,084 I've had enough of these. 705 00:43:01,084 --> 00:43:03,020 What is Nordic walking anyway? 706 00:43:03,020 --> 00:43:04,080 I don't know. I don't want anything to do with it.No idea. 707 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:07,048 Sick of it. Let's do English walking. 708 00:43:14,024 --> 00:43:17,040 Unfortunately, walking, Nordic or otherwise, 709 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,020 won't help us get to our final home. 710 00:43:20,020 --> 00:43:24,032 We're heading for the wild, western coast, to Fosnavog, 711 00:43:24,032 --> 00:43:28,044 a region renowned for outdoor living and, of course, fjords. 712 00:43:30,044 --> 00:43:36,004 So, if I was to envisage my perfect little harbour in Norway, 713 00:43:36,004 --> 00:43:40,016 this would be it.Hard to beat. 714 00:43:40,016 --> 00:43:42,076 And it's here that we've arranged to meet Peter, 715 00:43:42,076 --> 00:43:45,004 the owner of our final home. 716 00:43:45,004 --> 00:43:49,020 He's giving us a lift, as the house is only accessible by boat. 717 00:43:49,020 --> 00:43:51,056 Thank you very much. Does this work for you? 718 00:43:51,056 --> 00:43:54,016 Yeah, I think so. As long as I don't have to do the splits 719 00:43:54,016 --> 00:43:55,068 to get on it, I'll be all right. 720 00:43:55,068 --> 00:43:57,048 Whoops! 721 00:43:57,048 --> 00:44:00,080 I'll try not to push you here.Good. 722 00:44:02,072 --> 00:44:04,092 Is it a very long journey, Peter? No, it's not long, 100 metres. 723 00:44:04,092 --> 00:44:07,040 100 metres.Could have swum. 724 00:44:09,056 --> 00:44:10,060 It's there. 725 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,040 It's very mysterious, Peter. 726 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:16,076 It's very closed off. 727 00:44:16,076 --> 00:44:18,020 It's like it's got its eyes shut. 728 00:44:18,020 --> 00:44:19,028 Not welcoming at all. 729 00:44:20,064 --> 00:44:24,032 Our destination for the night is a home on its own island, 730 00:44:24,032 --> 00:44:28,052 designed as the ultimate weatherproof bolthole. 731 00:44:29,064 --> 00:44:32,056 # Sail away with me, honey 732 00:44:32,056 --> 00:44:35,056 # Hold my heart in your hands. # 733 00:44:35,056 --> 00:44:38,044 It's only a short boat trip across the water, 734 00:44:38,044 --> 00:44:42,024 but it feels a million miles away from the rest of the world. 735 00:44:45,020 --> 00:44:47,080 I'm not entirely sure I believe you it is a house. I think we're 736 00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:50,048 going to end up going in, there will be a load of sardines in there. 737 00:44:50,048 --> 00:44:53,000 I think we're about to be abandoned for the night here, aren't we? 738 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,060 Thank you. I think we are. 739 00:44:54,060 --> 00:44:57,000 So, Caroline, the keys. Thank you very much. 740 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,056 Is there anything we need to know about the house? 741 00:44:58,056 --> 00:45:00,072 You open it up.Open it up, OK. 742 00:45:00,072 --> 00:45:03,072 And maybe the fact that the last house that was here blew away 743 00:45:03,072 --> 00:45:07,032 in a stormy night.The last house that was here blew away?! 744 00:45:07,032 --> 00:45:08,072 Bye-bye. Enjoy. 745 00:45:08,072 --> 00:45:11,052 The weather's looking a bit peaky as well, isn't it? 746 00:45:11,052 --> 00:45:14,004 See the clouds coming in? 747 00:45:14,004 --> 00:45:15,036 Storm clouds are gathering. 748 00:45:15,036 --> 00:45:16,088 I don't care how handsome you are, 749 00:45:16,088 --> 00:45:19,012 it's a rude way to leave a lady on an island. 750 00:45:20,084 --> 00:45:24,000 I think this looks like a pretty robust house, though, Caroline, 751 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,004 even if there is a storm coming. 752 00:45:26,004 --> 00:45:29,020 You don't have any idea how we're meant to actually open it up? 753 00:45:29,020 --> 00:45:30,080 This is a front door, I think. 754 00:45:35,096 --> 00:45:39,024 This one's not going to get blown away in a storm. It's really heavy. 755 00:45:39,024 --> 00:45:44,040 This gives battening down the hatches a new level of meaning, 756 00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:45,048 doesn't it? 757 00:45:45,048 --> 00:45:48,060 I thought it was just going to be a window but actually you go straight 758 00:45:48,060 --> 00:45:51,048 into the house. It's extraordinary so far, isn't it? 759 00:45:53,020 --> 00:45:57,040 The owners wanted to be able to use their holiday home all year round, 760 00:45:57,040 --> 00:45:59,068 so it needed to cope with extreme weather. 761 00:46:01,032 --> 00:46:04,064 The architect designed a building that totally transforms 762 00:46:04,064 --> 00:46:07,036 as soon as it's opened up. 763 00:46:07,036 --> 00:46:09,088 You've got to be happy with this. 764 00:46:09,088 --> 00:46:12,052 This is one of the best entrances to a house. 765 00:46:12,052 --> 00:46:14,048 I don't know whether it's because of where we come from 766 00:46:14,048 --> 00:46:18,020 but we are trained to going up a small path and opening a front door. 767 00:46:18,020 --> 00:46:21,028 And this couldn't be more different, and yet, somehow, 768 00:46:21,028 --> 00:46:26,084 it couldn't be more Norwegian. It's so rugged, it's so strong, 769 00:46:26,084 --> 00:46:29,024 it's so... I don't know. Let me think. 770 00:46:29,024 --> 00:46:30,084 It's so like Peter. 771 00:46:32,008 --> 00:46:33,052 It's a very handsome building. 772 00:46:35,004 --> 00:46:37,092 The architects faced two challenges. 773 00:46:37,092 --> 00:46:41,016 Not only did the house have to sit directly on the existing footprint 774 00:46:41,016 --> 00:46:43,032 of the boathouse that blew away, 775 00:46:43,032 --> 00:46:47,016 it also had to pack in everything an inaccessible house would need. 776 00:46:48,076 --> 00:46:53,072 They designed a three-storey packing case of steel, glass and timber. 777 00:46:53,072 --> 00:46:55,080 The form is straightforward. 778 00:46:55,080 --> 00:47:00,004 On the ground floor is an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room. 779 00:47:00,004 --> 00:47:03,076 Above, divided by two floating staircases, are the bedrooms 780 00:47:03,076 --> 00:47:09,056 for family and guests. And, on top, an open-plan attic space. 781 00:47:09,056 --> 00:47:13,072 The remarkable part, beside its position, is the heavy-duty outer 782 00:47:13,072 --> 00:47:17,060 shell, protecting the whole structure with 17 timber shutters 783 00:47:17,060 --> 00:47:20,064 that can be opened and closed, depending on the weather. 784 00:47:24,036 --> 00:47:26,052 There's nothing lightweight about this place, is there? 785 00:47:26,052 --> 00:47:28,084 Nothing at all.It's really beefy. 786 00:47:28,084 --> 00:47:30,008 Every aspect of it. 787 00:47:30,008 --> 00:47:31,088 Everything weighs a lot. 788 00:47:31,088 --> 00:47:34,092 Everything's heavy and extremely well made. 789 00:47:36,016 --> 00:47:39,004 More things to move... It's the sound as well. 790 00:47:39,004 --> 00:47:41,060 I like the noise of all the metal, the doors... 791 00:47:41,060 --> 00:47:45,000 Yeah. It's very tactile, isn't it? 792 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:47,072 Completely. Every sense is completely assaulted as you come in. 793 00:47:47,072 --> 00:47:48,076 It's fantastic. 794 00:47:56,012 --> 00:47:59,096 The robust shell is in stark contrast to the soft, 795 00:47:59,096 --> 00:48:01,072 honey hued interior. 796 00:48:04,044 --> 00:48:05,084 It's breathtaking. 797 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:13,032 The minute you come inside, you feel safe, you're out of the elements. 798 00:48:13,032 --> 00:48:15,016 This is a good space, isn't it? 799 00:48:15,016 --> 00:48:16,080 It's quite a modest space at the same time. 800 00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:21,008 It isn't huge. And it's interesting how this staircase structures this 801 00:48:21,008 --> 00:48:24,064 space. So, this is the device by which these areas are zoned. 802 00:48:24,064 --> 00:48:28,036 This staircase is magically floating in the air. 803 00:48:28,036 --> 00:48:30,096 I don't imagine that's just because it looks great. 804 00:48:30,096 --> 00:48:33,028 I think it's also because, presumably, 805 00:48:33,028 --> 00:48:37,008 this concrete floor could take a huge amount of water washing in 806 00:48:37,008 --> 00:48:39,060 and no harm would come to this. 807 00:48:39,060 --> 00:48:41,084 You're totally right. It's really practical. 808 00:48:43,024 --> 00:48:45,076 This is a bit like being on a boat though, isn't it? 809 00:48:45,076 --> 00:48:51,040 I feel a little bit like I'm on this fantastic ferry, sailing out to sea. 810 00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:53,072 Yes, it is. It's like being on board ship. 811 00:48:53,072 --> 00:48:56,064 All the colours are so subtle. 812 00:48:56,064 --> 00:48:59,036 This kind of pinkish, beautiful leather. 813 00:48:59,036 --> 00:49:03,024 I like the fact that the warehouse roughness can co-exist with this... 814 00:49:03,024 --> 00:49:07,036 Luxury. A luxurious item in the room. 815 00:49:07,036 --> 00:49:10,056 It brings a whole new feel to the place, doesn't it? 816 00:49:10,056 --> 00:49:13,000 And it's not just the odd, single item. 817 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:16,000 Every element of this house, both large and small, 818 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:18,044 has been meticulously considered. 819 00:49:18,044 --> 00:49:22,000 Many people think that design is, really, going shopping for things, 820 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:26,008 standard things, kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, 821 00:49:26,008 --> 00:49:29,052 all of those things, and just arranging them into a building. 822 00:49:29,052 --> 00:49:32,072 In this house, everything is so beautifully made and everything is 823 00:49:32,072 --> 00:49:35,040 bespoke. Even things like the shower screen. 824 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:39,068 This is a purpose-made shower screen that also doubles up as a light. 825 00:49:39,068 --> 00:49:41,088 And things like the doors. 826 00:49:41,088 --> 00:49:45,064 The doors are beautifully made sheets of plywood, 827 00:49:45,064 --> 00:49:47,032 laminated together. 828 00:49:47,032 --> 00:49:51,084 And things like the door catch is this lovely piece of leather 829 00:49:51,084 --> 00:49:55,008 that takes this little stainless steel fitting at the end of it. 830 00:49:55,008 --> 00:49:56,048 And that's the door lock. 831 00:49:56,048 --> 00:49:57,088 It's beautiful, beautiful. 832 00:50:00,028 --> 00:50:02,028 Time to choose my bedroom. 833 00:50:03,068 --> 00:50:04,092 I think I'm going to go in... 834 00:50:04,092 --> 00:50:05,096 Yeah, this one. Ooh! 835 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:12,008 And I'd like to be able to see the sea. 836 00:50:13,004 --> 00:50:15,064 Um... how does this work? 837 00:50:15,064 --> 00:50:17,072 METAL CLANKING 838 00:50:17,072 --> 00:50:19,040 Sounds like a ship, doesn't it? 839 00:50:26,032 --> 00:50:28,004 There's no need for a gym up here. 840 00:50:28,004 --> 00:50:30,040 You could have biceps like Fatima Whitbread. 841 00:50:34,052 --> 00:50:39,036 From the bedrooms to the attic space, everything is so substantial, 842 00:50:39,036 --> 00:50:40,088 yet cosy. 843 00:50:40,088 --> 00:50:43,068 It almost makes the idea of sleeping on a rock 844 00:50:43,068 --> 00:50:46,020 in the middle of the sea seem sensible. 845 00:50:48,024 --> 00:50:50,000 CORK POPS 846 00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:51,084 Ah, that's for me. 847 00:50:51,084 --> 00:50:53,056 Have some glasses.Yes, please. 848 00:50:53,056 --> 00:50:55,072 Big ones?Yeah, I think I will. 849 00:50:55,072 --> 00:50:57,068 Thank you. 850 00:50:57,068 --> 00:51:00,072 All this stuff you could just bolt together from stuff 851 00:51:00,072 --> 00:51:03,088 you could buy in your hardware store in Devon. 852 00:51:03,088 --> 00:51:08,008 This house isn't afraid to take things that anyone can get 853 00:51:08,008 --> 00:51:10,076 and make something really special out of them. 854 00:51:10,076 --> 00:51:12,044 It knows where to spend its money, doesn't it? 855 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:22,040 The mood of this place has altered since the sunset, hasn't it? 856 00:51:23,060 --> 00:51:27,000 Looking out there I can see the twinkling lights of houses, 857 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:29,020 on the mainland, and still hear the water. 858 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:34,056 The character of the building has altered dramatically. 859 00:51:34,056 --> 00:51:37,080 Whereas in most houses, you shut the blinds, shut the curtains, 860 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:41,004 and that would be it. You carry on as if it was daytime. 861 00:51:41,004 --> 00:51:42,028 Can you imagine this in midsummer, 862 00:51:42,028 --> 00:51:44,088 where there's only three hours of twilight? 863 00:51:44,088 --> 00:51:47,032 What an extraordinary place that would be to be in! 864 00:51:47,032 --> 00:51:51,012 And the equivalent in winter, with just three hours of daylight. 865 00:51:51,012 --> 00:51:53,068 Again, those are the rhythms that give this place its light. 866 00:51:55,092 --> 00:51:58,056 It feels such a privilege to be here, doesn't it? 867 00:51:58,056 --> 00:52:01,036 I am really pleased that Caroline likes it. 868 00:52:01,036 --> 00:52:04,080 The best architecture often needs a bit of time to appreciate. 869 00:52:11,060 --> 00:52:13,016 And, after a good night's sleep, 870 00:52:13,016 --> 00:52:16,032 I can totally see the attraction of living on a rock. 871 00:52:16,032 --> 00:52:19,048 There's not a lot to do, which, for me, is just perfect. 872 00:52:20,068 --> 00:52:21,080 But, for action man... 873 00:52:29,060 --> 00:52:31,080 You can't be by the sea and not go in for a swim. 874 00:52:31,080 --> 00:52:33,084 Are you going in? 875 00:52:35,028 --> 00:52:36,060 I'm not sure how crazy this is. 876 00:52:36,060 --> 00:52:38,044 I think I'm going to have to go straight in. 877 00:52:43,072 --> 00:52:47,072 It's gorgeous. It's truly gorgeous. 878 00:52:50,036 --> 00:52:51,072 I do recommend it, Caroline. 879 00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:54,068 Hmm, I prefer the Mediterranean. 880 00:52:56,084 --> 00:52:58,032 You look like a little seal pup. 881 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:03,088 I'm going to struggle to get out now. 882 00:53:03,088 --> 00:53:08,024 He's a funny little dude, isn't he? 883 00:53:08,024 --> 00:53:11,080 And, if a dip in the chilly waters of the Norwegian Sea doesn't appeal, 884 00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:13,084 the other pastime here is fishing. 885 00:53:13,084 --> 00:53:17,004 Hi. Morning.While Piers defrosts, 886 00:53:17,004 --> 00:53:20,056 owners Peter and Marianna drop by to share their catch of the day. 887 00:53:20,056 --> 00:53:22,064 Very good. Hello. 888 00:53:22,064 --> 00:53:23,096 You must be Marianna. 889 00:53:23,096 --> 00:53:25,064 Good morning. Lovely to meet you two. 890 00:53:25,064 --> 00:53:30,036 Thank you so much for bringing our lunch with you. 891 00:53:30,036 --> 00:53:31,092 Do you want to pick them out? 892 00:53:31,092 --> 00:53:35,056 How do I do that?Just take the lobster there out the bag. 893 00:53:35,056 --> 00:53:37,000 Let's take him first. 894 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:38,012 OK, so that's so it doesn't... 895 00:53:39,036 --> 00:53:40,040 That's good. 896 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:42,044 He's a big 'un. 897 00:53:44,064 --> 00:53:47,092 The island has belonged to Peter's family for generations. 898 00:53:47,092 --> 00:53:52,032 It used to be a boathouse for a fishing boat. 899 00:53:52,032 --> 00:53:55,092 The foundation was here and eight, nine... nine years ago, 900 00:53:55,092 --> 00:53:57,096 I got the idea, maybe we should build something here. 901 00:53:58,096 --> 00:54:01,060 It wasn't built here. It was built off-site, wasn't it? 902 00:54:01,060 --> 00:54:04,016 Yeah, and that was difficult to find something to build it, actually. 903 00:54:04,016 --> 00:54:05,028 It was a challenge. 904 00:54:06,032 --> 00:54:09,068 After a while, we finally found a local entrepreneur who said, 905 00:54:09,068 --> 00:54:10,072 I'll take the challenge. 906 00:54:13,056 --> 00:54:16,052 Building on the tiny island was always going to be 907 00:54:16,052 --> 00:54:18,008 a logistical nightmare. 908 00:54:18,008 --> 00:54:21,072 Concrete to strengthen the foundations had to be airlifted in. 909 00:54:23,012 --> 00:54:26,076 Meanwhile, the entire house was being constructed in the shipyard 910 00:54:26,076 --> 00:54:29,076 on the mainland, a few miles down the coast. 911 00:54:29,076 --> 00:54:32,052 Then came the difficulty of getting the house to the island. 912 00:54:32,052 --> 00:54:36,060 We used an offshore vessel crane to lift it. 913 00:54:36,060 --> 00:54:38,084 They lifted it by crane... 914 00:54:38,084 --> 00:54:40,000 Yeah. Onto a barge. 915 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:42,068 Onto a barge, OK.And then it was tugged out here. 916 00:54:44,016 --> 00:54:46,032 It's must have been so exciting. It was. 917 00:54:47,076 --> 00:54:51,076 Weather here is unpredictable and the team had to wait six weeks 918 00:54:51,076 --> 00:54:54,072 for a day calm enough to make their move. 919 00:54:54,072 --> 00:54:56,072 Were you nervous it could go wrong? 920 00:54:56,072 --> 00:54:59,060 I'm sure some of the people here were nervous, yeah. 921 00:54:59,060 --> 00:55:02,068 The architect, actually, he wasn't here. 922 00:55:02,068 --> 00:55:04,016 He couldn't bear to look at it. 923 00:55:04,016 --> 00:55:06,060 He was nervous that things would go wrong. 924 00:55:14,052 --> 00:55:18,080 As they lowered the 70 tonnes of house onto its foundations, 925 00:55:18,080 --> 00:55:20,016 the weather broke. 926 00:55:22,028 --> 00:55:26,012 Welders had to weld it in place during a storm. 927 00:55:26,012 --> 00:55:28,072 It wouldn't be the last time the house had to contend 928 00:55:28,072 --> 00:55:31,056 with the worst of Norway's weather. 929 00:55:31,056 --> 00:55:34,000 We spent last Christmas here. 930 00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:37,016 It was our first Christmas on the island. 931 00:55:37,016 --> 00:55:40,060 We had a storm, it was amazing to be here. 932 00:55:40,060 --> 00:55:45,036 Not being able to go ashore because the sea was too rough, and the boat 933 00:55:45,036 --> 00:55:47,032 was...I lost one boat. 934 00:55:47,032 --> 00:55:50,024 Yes, we lost one boat actually. The small boat went down. 935 00:55:50,024 --> 00:55:53,048 Must have been a serious storm. It was hurricane strength. 936 00:55:53,048 --> 00:55:55,040 I'm glad you've tested it at full strength. 937 00:55:55,040 --> 00:55:57,084 It's a fortress really here, isn't it? 938 00:55:57,084 --> 00:56:00,016 It is.It really has the feeling of a fortress. 939 00:56:00,016 --> 00:56:04,060 You feel it can take anything the weather throws at it. 940 00:56:04,060 --> 00:56:06,044 You're both typically Norwegian people. 941 00:56:06,044 --> 00:56:08,016 You're fantastically good-looking. 942 00:56:08,016 --> 00:56:09,056 Was there any point when you thought, 943 00:56:09,056 --> 00:56:11,036 let's make the whole thing out of mirrors, 944 00:56:11,036 --> 00:56:12,064 so we can look at ourselves? 945 00:56:14,088 --> 00:56:16,076 No, we didn't. 946 00:56:34,084 --> 00:56:37,096 I shall be sad to say goodbye to this house. 947 00:56:37,096 --> 00:56:41,020 It's just a joy from beginning to end. 948 00:56:41,020 --> 00:56:44,008 I think what's special about this house is the way 949 00:56:44,008 --> 00:56:48,036 that it solves problems in the most practical and straightforward way, 950 00:56:48,036 --> 00:56:49,080 just like the Vikings did. 951 00:56:51,020 --> 00:56:54,048 They're a seafaring nation and you can tell by this build, can't you? 952 00:56:54,048 --> 00:56:58,096 You really can.What are we taking away from this extraordinary 953 00:56:58,096 --> 00:57:01,088 environment and these wonderful houses? 954 00:57:01,088 --> 00:57:07,096 I think Norway is a really unusual country in that landscape, weather, 955 00:57:07,096 --> 00:57:11,072 climate, culture, geography, geology, 956 00:57:11,072 --> 00:57:15,060 is under all of their skin, all of the time, in everything they do. 957 00:57:15,060 --> 00:57:18,068 And that's so evident in all of the buildings. 958 00:57:18,068 --> 00:57:21,040 These four buildings have been very different from one another, 959 00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:23,008 but something binds them together. 960 00:57:23,008 --> 00:57:26,004 And I think it's an appreciation of landscape. 961 00:57:26,004 --> 00:57:32,072 We've seen the evolution of that wonderful little Norwegian cottage 962 00:57:32,072 --> 00:57:36,016 into some of the most extraordinary buildings, 963 00:57:36,016 --> 00:57:38,040 that, just like the Norwegians themselves, 964 00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:42,048 not only know how to deal with weather but absolutely love it. 965 00:57:44,016 --> 00:57:45,088 Come on, sweetie. Let's do it. 966 00:57:56,072 --> 00:57:59,092 Next time, we're in Israel, where inventive, 967 00:57:59,092 --> 00:58:03,092 modern homes play with culture and tradition. 968 00:58:03,092 --> 00:58:07,028 From a stunning city house carved out of the hillside... 969 00:58:07,028 --> 00:58:09,052 This is clearly what it's all about. 970 00:58:09,052 --> 00:58:13,016 It's all about the rock. It's all about the rock. 971 00:58:13,016 --> 00:58:15,084 To luxury living by the Med... 972 00:58:15,084 --> 00:58:18,096 This is one seriously glamorous boudoir. 973 00:58:18,096 --> 00:58:22,092 ..as we go in search of the world's extraordinary homes. 974 00:58:44,048 --> 00:58:47,012 Subtitles by Red Bee Media