Hemnet HomeHemnet HomeHemnet Home
A new type of house, for everyone, by everyone. A home built by two million Swedes, the Hemnet Home is a data experiment to lead the way for a new type of architecture. After analysing 200 million clicks and 86,000 properties on Hemnet, Sweden’s most popular property site, Hemnet asked ThamVidegård to create Sweden’s statistically most sought-after home.
The house is, in short, based on two parts. A direct interpretation of Big Data statistics from all the Hemnet users provided an average value that determined the measurable properties of the home, including size, price, number of rooms, bathrooms, and floors. To this, ThamVidegård added a reading of the Swedish house condensed into two iconic types: the red wooden cottage, which represents history, local resources, crafts, and national building traditions; and the white functionalist box, which stands for modernity, optimism, industrial development, the welfare state, and international ideals. The aim was to create an architecture that combines the statistics with the features of these two iconic types—the rationality of the functionalist box combined with the quality of craftsmanship and material presence of the Falu red cottage.
The result is a mathematical translation of the statistical 1.5 floors within a cubic volume that is fully utilised by incorporating a terrace and a double-height void on the upper level. This corresponds to statistics indicating a desire for a balcony or terrace and an open kitchen, which ThamVidegård interpreted by making the kitchen one of the home's most important social spaces, emphasised with a double floor-to-ceiling height and the inclusion of space for both dining and stairs.
A terrace is inscribed within the cube, providing a space protected from the wind while also offering privacy. This is beneficial, particularly for denser housing areas. The kitchen's extra floor-to-ceiling height, together with one large window placed in each room, combines into a simple and energy-efficient construction filled with generous daylight and a spacious interior.
The facade is made of standard wooden boarding mounted onto a curved nailing batten to achieve a well-crafted character and material presence inspired by the heritage of carefully detailed timber architecture. The wave-shaped facade panels create an enhanced depth and shadow effect. The exterior is painted entirely in the traditional Swedish Falu red colour.
