A VISIT TO MR. HATLOY

Yesterday, I visited the home of Svein Hatloy, the main founder of Bergen School of Architecture, the school's last headmaster and an important architecture philosopher. Svein is still a professor at the school, and an important thinker and mediator in the field of open form.

The house was no less than amazing, and an important work of open form, an approach to design invented by the Polish architect Oscar Hansen, which is often described as a rebellion against the aesthetics of the rectangle, with an emphasis on variation, additive composition and an active attitude towards the context of buildings. Although a redesign of a 1960's standard house, there was very little repetition to be seen; every surface was full of life, details and variation. There was round posts and square posts, wooden floors, tiles and stone floors, little staircases here and there, windows of different shapes and sizes, in the walls and in the ceilings. Still, there was an amazing calm present. The air was very clean and light, the sunshine gave everything a cold, calm glow, and the volumes of the rooms made them feel intimate, and at the same time open. The house is quite large, but still seemed rather sustainable, due to the use of local and re-used materials, sun-heated hot water and alot of attention having been paid to the local climate and weather.

Svein gave us some interesting assignments for drawings of different aspects of the house and the landscape, the response he gave us when we presented our productions, was no less rewarding. Apparently, yesterday was the second time in 24 years that the first-graders were invited to Svein, and upon spotting Norsk Form's award on his wall, I couldn't help feeling we were rather privileged to be able to speak to and learn from him.

Photos by yours truly, architecture by Svein Hatloy.