Holiday house on Laesø island
The holiday house, designed by Copenhagen-based, Vandkunsten architects for Realdania Byg (the funding body supporting public projects across the Danish construction industry) adds a new, and to-date, untested, option to the growing palette of renewables: namely, seaweed. The building was erected on Laesø Island in northern Denmark and is based on the seaweed roofing tradition found almost uniquely on this island. The house is the subsequent step from the renovation of a small, seaweed-roofed house from the 1860s, which stands just a short distance away. While the refurbishment helped those involved to refresh skills and to gain a deeper understanding of the material, the aim for the new-build was to generate enough public interest in the material to produce a self-sustaining industry. The lightweight timber frame building was advertised for sale on the open market during the autumn of 2013.
