Earth, Sky and Water Thames & Hudson (370615741)

Instantly calming houses in remote Scandinavian locations that will make you want to escape into nature. In a world of starchitects competing to design ever taller glass and steel megaliths, there are still some architects designing with natural materials at a human scale, for comfort, longevity and visual delight. Mette Lange is one such architect. She creates beautiful, unpretentious homes in spectacular scenery that offer visual inspiration for homebuilders and dreamers alike. Earth, Sky and Water presents 15 houses designed by Mette across three chapters: By the Water, In the Forest and In the Countryside. First-person project texts describe Mette’s unique practice of camping on-site at the start of each design process, and detail the thinking behind each house’s main features. Inviting photography takes readers inside these homes and draws particular attention to the choice of materials. In keeping with her socially responsible ethos, Mette has also designed schools for the children of migrant workers in India, where she spends part of each year. These projects, presented in the book alongside her own home in India, inform her practice at home in Denmark. Mette has kept her studio small in order to remain fully involved in each project at every level. As well as a visual feast of deceptively simple Scandinavian summerhouses that will leave the reader yearning for one of their own, the book offers a blueprint for aspiring architects on how to escape the rat race by running their own sustainable studio. Renowned architecture writer and fan of Mette's work, Kenneth Frampton, contributes an afterword.