Rörum House: Heritage & Multi-Generational Living

Context and Location

Rörum House is situated in a former apple orchard in southern Sweden, surrounded by traditional agricultural buildings that reflect the site’s rural character. This historical setting forms the foundation for understanding the relationship between the built structure and the surrounding landscape.

Architectural Heritage and Reinterpretation

The project draws on the region’s cultural heritage and its surrounding natural scenery, aiming to reinterpret the traditional barn typology. Through careful selection of form and materials, the architects seek to ensure continuity with the local context and achieve a harmonious integration of the building within its environment.

Balancing Tradition and Modernity

The house’s design exemplifies the integration of traditional elements with the demands of contemporary living. Rather than merely replicating the conventional barn, the design reimagines it through a modern lens, achieving both functional efficiency and aesthetic clarity.

Perspective view of Rorum House at dusk showing the white exterior walls and metal roofing. — The choice of white facades and zinc roofing ensures a long-lasting aesthetic that respects local building traditions. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Side gable view of Rorum House showing the steep pitch and wooden slat window coverings. — The simple, clear architectural massing of the house reflects a high sensitivity to the exposed rural site. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Multi-Generational Design

The building is organized to accommodate multi-generational living, reflecting a design approach that prioritizes flexibility and responds to the diverse needs of family members across different age groups.

Architectural Massing and Central Core

The design is based on a simple and clearly articulated volume, organized around a central functional core that plays a pivotal role in structuring the interior. This core distinctly separates shared and private zones while establishing a clear circulation path throughout the building, facilitating movement and enhancing the daily living experience.

Flow of Shared Spaces

Anchored by the central core, movement transitions seamlessly from enclosed areas into the double-height living room, passing through the dining area and kitchen. Together, these spaces form the primary communal areas of the house, where circulation and social interaction converge within a balanced interior design environment.

Architectural floor plan of Rorum House showing the central functional core and multi-generational living layout. — The floor plan illustrates the central core that strategically separates private quarters from shared social spaces.

Architectural section drawing of Rorum House and outbuilding showing the pitched roof heights. — The section drawing highlights the relationship between the main house and the surrounding smaller agricultural structures.

Daylight and Connection to the Surroundings

Full-height openings allow daylight to penetrate deep into the interior, creating a bright and naturally lit living environment. These openings also establish strong visual and physical connections to the surrounding orchard and landscape, reinforcing a sense of continuity between interior and exterior spaces.

Design Response to Context

The design demonstrates a high level of sensitivity to the requirements of multi-generational living, carefully balancing the needs of private and shared spaces. At the same time, it responds to the exposed rural setting, making a precise balance between openness, privacy, and long-term robustness essential to ensure comfort and sustainability.

Modern open-plan kitchen and dining area in Rorum House featuring custom ash woodwork and minimalist pendant lighting. — The central core houses functional areas like the kitchen, finished in warm ash wood to contrast the solid concrete floors. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Interior of Rorum House showing the transition between the concrete floor and the acoustic pine ceiling. — A custom-designed acoustic pine ceiling improves sound comfort in the large shared living areas. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Material Selection and Commitment to Tradition

The choice of materials reflects principles of durability, simplicity, and local building traditions. The exterior is composed of white rendered façades and pitched zinc roofs, echoing the construction logic of the surrounding agricultural buildings and reinforcing harmony with the rural context.

Timber Elements and Reinterpretation

Timber elements are introduced through roof extensions and sliding wooden doors that reinterpret traditional barn doors. Beyond their aesthetic role, these elements provide solar shading and privacy while allowing filtered natural light to enter the interior. This creates changing lighting conditions throughout the day, dynamically enhancing the overall living experience.

Interior view of Rorum House living area with double-height ceilings, pine wood cladding, and large windows facing the orchard. — High ceilings and expansive glazing allow natural light to penetrate deep into the interior, strengthening the bond with the surrounding nature. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Interior Materials and Connection to Nature

Inside, the architecture is defined by a calm and natural palette of colors and materials that strengthens the connection to the surrounding landscape, creating a comfortable and visually balanced atmosphere.

Robust Framework and Tactile Warmth

Concrete floors and white rendered walls establish a robust and neutral framework, while bespoke ash carpentry introduces tactility and warmth to the interior, balancing structural solidity with sensory comfort.

A custom-designed wooden acoustic ceiling in pine spans the shared spaces, improving sound comfort and reinforcing spatial clarity. This design also supports flexible social gatherings, aligning with the concept of multi-generational living and shared environments.

Close-up of a large window in Rorum House with a view into the warm lit dining room from the exterior. — Large glazed openings create a “filtered light” effect, enhancing the living experience throughout the day. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

Long facade of Rorum House with sliding wooden shutters and skylights under a grey zinc roof. — Traditional barn doors are reinterpreted as functional wooden sliding shutters that provide shade and privacy. (Image © Markus Linderoth)

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Several positive aspects can be identified in Rörum House, such as the careful integration of traditional elements with the requirements of multi-generational living, the use of natural materials to strengthen the connection to the rural surroundings, and a spatial layout that offers a relative degree of flexibility between shared and private areas. However, the project also raises a number of architectural questions that may inform future design approaches. The contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional barn risks diluting the clarity of the original architectural language in certain details, while the extensive openness of the spaces and the high-level daylight openings may introduce practical challenges related to privacy control and climatic performance within an exposed rural context. In addition, the extensive reliance on finely detailed timber elements may increase long-term maintenance costs and limit economic sustainability when compared to more straightforward traditional materials.

Despite these considerations, the project can serve architects and designers as a valuable case study for exploring the balance between heritage and modernity, spatial organization for multi-generational living, and strategies for integrating natural light and local materials. Together, these insights can form a foundation for developing more flexible and context-responsive design strategies attuned to local and climatic conditions.

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Reviewer

★ ArchUp Technical Analysis

ArchUp: Technical Analysis of Rörum House in Sweden
This article presents a technical analysis of Rörum House, serving as a case study in reinterpreting Swedish rural architectural heritage and adapting it to multi-generational family living. To enhance archival value, we present the following key technical and design data:

The house is situated in a historic apple orchard in the Skåne region of southern Sweden, occupying an area of 350 square meters on a 1.2-hectare plot. The structure utilizes enhanced traditional building techniques, employing a Swedish spruce timber frame with 320 mm thick rock wool insulation in the walls and 400 mm in the roofs, achieving a U-value of 0.18 W/m²·K. The design features a 27-degree pitched roof clad in treated zinc sheeting, with white-painted timber façades that mirror the traditional surrounding farmsteads.

The environmental and energy system employs a hybrid heating setup, including a geothermal heat pump and a central wood-burning stove that supplies 85% of winter heating needs. Strategically placed skylights in the roofs provide sufficient natural light for 75% of daytime operating hours. The house collects rainwater in a 20,000-liter tank for use in irrigation and toilets, reducing reliance on the municipal supply by 60%.

In terms of functional design and multi-generational living, the house divides space into three interconnected yet independent zones: a main living area (40%), a grandparents’ wing (30%), and shared family spaces (30%). Wide internal corridors (1.2 meters wide) and threshold-free doorways ensure easy access for all ages. Large floor-to-ceiling windows feature triple-glazed, low-emissivity insulating glass, maintaining a visual connection with the historic orchard while achieving high energy efficiency.

Related link: Please review this article to understand architectural adaptation strategies for multi-generational families:
A House for All: Designing Residential Spaces for Multi-Generational Living and Family Transitions.