Saunders Architecture is a trans-Atlantic firm with projects in Scandinavia, Europe, and North America. It is renowned for its extremely contextual approach and deep-seated regard for the interrelationship between its structures and the natural world. The studio, guided by a strong sense of modern design, considers that architecture must play a significant part in defining place by evoking and influencing memory and social interaction through form, materials, and texture. Original residential work, cultural commissions, and the hotel industry—including the iconic Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland—have all been covered by projects.
Canadian architect Todd Saunders, who lives and works in Norway, is renowned for fusing his modern structures with an artistic sense that is intimately attuned to the singularity of northern terrains. He stands out as one of the most renowned architects of his time because of his use of organic materials and straightforward yet eye-catching shapes. He is known for creating structures that honour and comprehend vernacular histories and produce something new.
Todd Saunders, born in Gander, Newfoundland, studied at McGill University in Montreal and the Nova Scotia College of Arts & Design in Halifax before embarking on a long European journey. In 1998, he established Saunders Architecture in Bergen, Norway, his adoptive home. He went on to build up a portfolio of assignments in Scandinavia, Canada, the United States, and other regions of the globe.
In addition to giving lectures worldwide, Todd Saunders has had visiting professorships at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He continues to work on personal book projects outside of his practice, such as SHARE: Discussions about Modern Architecture — The Nordic Countries (Artifice, 2022), demonstrating his dedication to the larger field of architectural design.
On a Norwegian archipelago, the cross-shaped island residence designed by Saunders Architecture serves as an observatory from which to observe the area.
The project, known as Villa Austevoll, is situated on Selbjrn, part of an archipelago south of Bergen. Each of the three bedrooms in the house has a terrace with a unique view of the land or the sea, and there are also open-plan living areas.
A couple who wanted a house with a cabin-like feel and simple decor that appreciated its coastal and hillside environment commissioned it.
Saunders Architects raised most of the house above ground to safeguard the terrain and ensure the project did not significantly alter the surrounding environment.
The lower concrete volume of the house, which houses an entrance hall, utility spaces, and a spiral staircase leading to the adjacent upper volume, is reached by way of a linear stairway that runs along the slope.
A circular skylight was positioned above the oak spiral staircase and punctuated the ceiling of the upper floor of the house, bringing light into the dark entrance hall covered in stained wood.
The spiral staircase takes homeowners and guests straight from the lower concrete volume to the upper volume of the home. The spiral staircase and the surrounding walls were built entirely from light wood.
The main body of the house, which is the second volume, was built on top of the lower concrete volume and projected outward from the ground on short steel pillars that give the building a floating appearance.
Regarding layout, Villa Austevoll’s upper level is shaped like a cross with floor-to-ceiling windows at each of its four points, giving it various vantage points over the surrounding terrain.
In contrast to the entrance hall, the top level has a light and airy appearance thanks to the light wood flooring and large amounts of white panelling covering the walls and ceiling.
The open-plan shared living areas, located on the north and south axes of the house, are divided by a spiral staircase in the middle of the area.
Each room opens to a patio with views of the neighbourhood. The living room is in the house’s north wing and opens to a terrace protected from the elements by an overhanging roof.
Due to its seaside position, wind and weather patterns influenced Villa Austevoll’s structure. Due to this, the studio decided to integrate angular walls and long walls that serve as terrace shelters.
Simple colours dominate the decor of Villa Austevoll, within the southern wing where the kitchen and eating room are located. It has an eight-seat dining table in the middle of the wing and a one-wall kitchen that runs the length of one wall of the room. The eastern and western wings are filled with bedrooms, including a master suite and two other bedrooms, all with doors leading out to covered terraces.
The plan was refined to accommodate wind and weather trends. Todd Saunders, a Canadian architect, established Saunders Architecture in 1998, headquartered in Bergen, Norway. A “ribbon-like” house in Ontario and a wood-clad mansion near Bergen that looks out onto Lake Nords are just a few of the projects the firm has finished in Canada and Norway.