Combined home and studio wins Swedish Wood Award

Architects Anders Johansson and Anja Thedenius are the winners of the annual Swedish Wood Award 2020 (Träpriset 2020) with their combined studio and home on Rådmansö, in the northern Stockholm archipelago, designed and built for themselves. It was selected for its 'carefully considered and well-proportioned way of experimenting with space and with wood'. 'Ateljé I Södersvik', completed in 2018, consists of a large studio, a loft, a space beneath the loft and bathroom. Wood has been used everywhere, on every scale, from the structural frame to furniture - mainly spruce.

"Wood creates a warm atmosphere that appeals to all senses, through tactility, light, acoustics and smell," Anders Johansson and Anja Thedenius say.

The duo wanted to create a generous space with carefully studied proportions. "Our design is one big room, but it is divided into spatialities, such as the open space, the loft and the lower area under the loft," says Johansson, and Thedenius adds:

"It is like a theatre where you can stage different scenarios. The room certainly adds dimensions to being an architect, and we can explore and test new solutions here, like making three dimensional studies in full scale."

You mention building sustainably, why is it important to you?

"We have sought a comprehensive view on sustainability. First, we have reused a site where there was previously a building. And we wanted to make a house entirely out of wood, as an ecologically sound building material, all through the walls. When building, we tried to have simple solutions that are easy to get, understand and even to repair yourself. We wanted to be true to the material, where surfaces are quite raw and unstyled. But the most important factor is that living in a house like this makes you aware of the environment and how you spend your life."