THE AESTHETICS OF REUSE
R E U S E
The word quickly evokes associations with something worn, dusty and maybe a little shabby? That need not be the case! In this project, a 100 years old roofing tiles of Otta natural stone got a new life as cladding - to give eternal joy to future generations
B A L A N C E
When we were to extend our cabin, we wanted a tight and modern extension, but still we wanted it to balance well with the old existing cabin. A strategy to achieve this was to reuse old materials.
The cabin was clad in heartwood pine treated with iron vitrol which soon gave the cabin a gray and weathered appearance. The panoramic window got a sliding door built in "ancient" panel from a nearby barn which was to be demolished.
The cabin is located in sloping terrain with a foundation wall in front, thus we felt the new building "floated" a bit in the terrain, as if it needed further anchoring. Different types of cladding were tested in an attempt to give the cabin the weight it needed, but no one seemed to fit completely. But when I came across a sale ad of 100-year-old roofing tiles of Otta natural stone it all fell into place.
This is a completely unique type of slate only found in Gudbrandsdalen, a valley in mid-Norway. It is a dark charcoal colored stone with a beautiful shimmer that, exposed to weather and time, gets the golden patina it is so famous for. There are long traditions for the use of Otta natural stone in Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen. Slate roofs have been laid since the 15th century, and if you drive the European route E6 through the valley, you cannot avoid seeing all the beautiful historic farms with the characteristic Otta slate on the roofs.
What a pleasure to use the inspiration from this proud tradition! We went down to Lillehammer, filled up the trailer and bought mortar and masonry tools. Then we rolled up our sleeves and through many long weekends that autumn the whole foundation was covered with the most beautiful slate full of lived life, lichen, moss and the wonderful warm expression the Otta slate is so famous for. It was the icing on the cake for us. The thickest roof tiles were used as stepping stones in the surroundings, and on the entrance stairs.
Our cabin is not only beautifully situated in the middle of nature, but is very much part of nature itself. The materials are natural, local, recycled, and mainly maintenance-free.
ABOUT OTTA SLATE
The Otta Slate is unique in its kind among all slate types in the world with its characteristic rosettes of black amphibole crystals and small crystals of grenade. It gives it a completely different expression, which has made it popular for both public and private prestigious buildings. As a ceiling and facade, it is very suitable, but it is also nice in the interior for floors and walls in all types of rooms. The slate has inherent natural properties that give it a completely unique expression, which can also be refined depending on where and how the slate is to be used. The edges can be given different expressions through chopping, rough chopping, cutting and sawing. It can also be treated in various ways through, for example, brushing, grinding, chamfering and rounding. The possibilities are many.
This article is made in collaboration with Minera skifer
ABOUT MINERA
Minera is Scandinavia's leading producer of slate. Founded in several hundred years of handicraft tradition, they create beautiful building materials from Scandinavian slate that are several hundred million years old.
The company delivers sustainable slate products to everything from large public buildings to small private houses. The slate from Minera has a long life, requires little maintenance, and is just as suitable on the outside as in the interior. Extraction and processing of the stones requires little energy as it is mostly manual work, and even though production today is run with modern techniques and equipment, the business is a direct extension of a craft and a material knowledge that has deep roots in Norwegian cultural history.
Read more about slate on Minera's website.
