The project — Riverstone
A quiet neighbourhood of twelve homes, between forest and water.
Riverstone is a small residential project on the northern shore — twelve homes by one architect, built in timber, stone and glass, and arranged so that every one of them meets the water.
01 — The idea
Fewer homes. More room for the landscape.
We started with the site — a sloping meadow of old pines that runs down to the water — and asked how few homes it could hold without losing what makes it special. The answer was twelve. Each is placed to keep the trees, open a view of the lake and give its neighbours room to breathe.
12
Private residences
4.2 ha
Protected parkland
180 m
Private shoreline
2027
First keys handed over
02 — Principles
Three ideas shaped every decision.
01
Built around the light
Every home faces south-west across the water. Deep window reveals and long roof overhangs bring in low winter sun and shade the rooms in summer.
02
Honest materials
Charred larch, local granite, oak and lime plaster — materials that weather gracefully and ask for little more than time and care.
03
Landscape first
More than ninety percent of the existing pines are kept. Paths, gardens and the shoreline are shared, planted with native meadow and reed.
03 — Architecture
Designed by the landscape, drawn by hand.
Studio Halden began with a model of the meadow, placing each house by hand between the trees. The result is a loose village of pitched roofs and quiet courtyards — never a row, never a block.
Inside, ceilings rise to 3.2 metres beneath the gables, and every living room opens directly onto a terrace or loggia.
Architect
Studio Halden
Structure
Cross-laminated timber
Façades
Charred larch & local granite
Energy
Ground-source heat, A+ rated
04 — Timeline
From first sketch to first morning.
2023
Site & concept
The meadow is surveyed tree by tree and the first sketches are drawn around what is already there.
2024
Planning approved
Twelve homes are approved with a shared shoreline, a jetty and four hectares of protected parkland.
2025
Ground breaking
Foundations are set by hand between the roots; timber frames are prefabricated off-site.
2026
Topping out
Roofs close in and the first façades of charred larch rise along the water.
2027
First mornings
Keys are handed over in spring. The meadow is replanted and the jetty opens to residents.
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