Savannah House and Savannen Pavilion by Ateljé Ö – Raw Concrete Architecture on the Swedish Coast

Located in the rugged landscape of Bungenäs on the island of Gotland, the Savannah House and Savannen Pavilion by Ateljé Ö reinterpret industrial architecture with a poetic, site-specific sensitivity. Completed in 2022, the 100 m² residence and its accompanying summer pavilion explore the tension between raw materials, coastal wilderness, and experimental construction techniques.

A House Inspired by Industry and Shaped by Landscape

Savannah House—also known as Savannah 8—derives its name from the architect’s nickname for the small, barren field beside the site. Tall grasses, lone bushes, and crooked junipers create a miniature Scandinavian savannah, forming a dramatic backdrop between the open coastal horizon and traces of past military activity.

Interestingly, the house does not take its inspiration from nature but from industrial infrastructure. A simple transformer substation kiosk became the conceptual starting point, influencing the compact, rectangular form and robust material palette. The discovery of several onsite concrete blocks further shaped the design, anchoring the structure in the area’s history.

With a restricted budget yet complete artistic freedom, the architects embraced constraints as a creative force. Every material and detail was chosen for durability, honesty, and expressive potential.

Prefabricated Concrete and an Industrial Aesthetic

Constructed entirely from prefabricated concrete walls, the house was produced in collaboration with a local concrete factory. Together, they developed a technique that achieved a distinct roughness and textured façade, creating a building that feels both timeless and unapologetically contemporary.

Unlike many custom-crafted Ateljé Ö projects, Savannah House is composed entirely of industrially produced components. Even the kitchen fan, fabricated from a galvanized steel foot grate, celebrates the beauty of repurposed materials.

Inside, the palette remains minimal: raw concrete surfaces, exposed plywood, oversized technical installations, and visible structural systems emphasize the building’s industrial identity. However, small acts of ornamentation soften the stark expression—such as tiles pressed upside-down into the concrete during casting, adding subtle craft within a prefabricated framework.

Savannen Pavilion – A Lightweight Experiment in Summer Living

Adjacent to the main house, the Savannen Pavilion demonstrates Ateljé Ö’s experimental spirit and resourceful approach. Built on a modest budget, the pavilion relies on industrial construction systems to achieve openness, playfulness, and minimal material waste.

A lightweight aluminum skeleton made from scaffolding pipes forms the structure, wrapped in translucent corrugated plastic that glows with natural light. Large sliding aluminum doors on two sides create fluid boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces—perfect for the coastal Swedish summer.

Prioritizing sustainability and material efficiency, the architects designed an outdoor kitchen and bicycle rack from leftover construction materials, proving that sustainable design can be both inventive and elegant.

A Dialogue Between Brutalism, Coastal Nature, and Experimental Craft

Together, Savannah House and Savannen Pavilion reflect a philosophy rooted in honesty, restraint, and experimentation. The architecture embraces roughness and imperfection, allowing the structures to age naturally alongside the windswept Gotland coast. Industrial materials become expressive, tactile, and unexpectedly warm, demonstrating the power of constraint in architectural creativity.

All photographs are works of Andy Liffner