Location: Norway, Architects: Mork-Ulnes Architects, Photographs: Bruce Damonte, Juan Benavides
Located on the west side of Kvitfjell, 45 minutes north of Lillehammer, the cabin designed by Mork-Ulnes Architects is situated 943 m above sea level, nearly at the top of the mountain (1,039 m). Its high altitude means the cabin is exposed to severe winter weather, at times being socked in and at times floating peacefully above the clouds in the valley below. From November until April, one can put on downhill skis and reach the local market to go grocery shopping, returning home using the lifts. On cross country skis one can connect to hundreds of kilometers of trails, reaching country lodges to rest and warm-up. In the summertime, it’s possible to hike from the cabin to the top of Kvitfjell (which means White Mountain in Norwegian) in about 20 minutes or reach one of the many streams and lakes for swimming and fishing.