The beautiful, green and almost maintenance-free summer cottage

The architect couple Lotte and Peter Foght-Sørensen from Mangor & Nagel Architects wanted a lovely summer cottage on their natural plot at the ridge of Skuldelev Ås on Roskilde Fjord – a summer cottage for their family in a small clearing in the forest with a view of the ridge.

With its green steel sheeting panels, the cottage looks as if it was simply made for the scenic and idyllic forest clearing. It adds a uniform and sculptured expression as the same materials are used for the vertical fronts as well as for the 15-degree sloping roof. Moreover, the couple has chosen the steel sheeting panels to minimise the maintenance of the cottage – and this actually fostered the idea of a green house. As the cottage is located in a forest, it will be encrusted with algae and other growths over time. Lotte and Peter have therefore chosen to accept encrustation as patina that, on the green background, will make the house even more beautiful over time.

Using the heavy-duty galvanized panels meant that they were able to use a perforated version of the very same type of steel sheeting panels for steel gates and ventilated outhouse. The house is therefore fantastically suited to the forest while having a connection to traditional agricultural construction with galvanized sheeting panels which is also found in the local area.

The exterior panelling on both roof and fronts is made up of dark green steel sheeting panels. The interior surfaces of the cottage and the terrace are made from light wood with shades of grey. The materials are simple, maintenance-free and create a lovely and idyllic summer cottage atmosphere.