Some perfect homes

A lavishly produced book that considers, in detail, eleven houses designed by Saunders, nine in Norway and two in Canada (where he was born). The architect suggested there is a similarity between Canada and Norway, where he lives with his family. The climate (at least in the Canadian east and near the coast) vernacular architecture of fisherman's huts,  boathouses, farmsteads and especially the love of having a summer cabin near the sea or a lake. These are usually made of local materials like stone and timber. All of this has influenced Saunders approach to creating buildings that take into account the site and the wider environmental landscape, the views, local climate and not forgetting the requirements of his clients.

Saunders houses are really distinctive and they have some common themes. Huge windows, frequently floor to ceiling, to take advantage of some spectacular views. Roofs that overhang the house interiors and create angled weatherproof verandas. Maybe something that is unique to his work is the use of a wedge, where two walls meet at a point. The house I like the most is Villa AT in Sogne, Norway. The roof of the one-story home curves round in a sort of Z shape and in part has some curving windows plus two wedge shapes. Saunders own home is included, Villa S near Bergen, Norway. The weather influenced the design of this property because it can rain a lot in Bergen so the design includes a large open space underneath the first floor. A photo on page 201 shows his daughters enjoying the swings hanging from the ceiling. The living area of the home is on the first floor.

The book reveals the eleven houses with beautiful photos and the interior ones show proportions that look just right when looking down a corridor or a living room and bedrooms that combine the windows, walls and ceilings into a harmonious living space. There are the architect's captioned floor plans for each house. The center of the book has a sixteen-page, colored stock insert called 'Ways of working' that reveal how Saunders and his staff use site photos, shapes cut from foam, models of houses, room mock-ups and client conversations to help create, in each case, the perfect home.