Havar Cemal Architecture

Sweden | Renovation & Addition | 2024

Client: Private

Material: Structure in wood, cladding in wood with treated with tar.

Location: Western Sweden

Area: 180 m²

Villa B24 was built as a modest 1983 house that a family had outgrown. I worked with them to modernize and expand it, tripling the original footprint while respecting a very tight budget. Every design choice had to count. The project added new wings for bedrooms and living spaces, reorganizing the plan to fit how the family actually moves through their day. I integrated smart home technology to control energy use efficiently—not as a luxury feature, but as a practical tool to keep running costs low over decades. The goal was to create a house they could live in for generations, not just a few years.

Working within strict budget constraints taught me to prioritise ruthlessly. Materials had to be durable and local. Every square meter had to work hard. The result is a house that feels generous without waste—a careful balance between what the family needed and what they could afford to build and maintain. This project shows that thoughtful architecture doesn’t require unlimited budgets. It requires knowing what matters most.

I’m increasingly interested in smaller, smarter homes. At HC Architecture, I design villas tailored to Swedish climate and landscape—combining clean minimalist forms with modern construction methods that actually work. This approach draws on Sweden’s long history of prefabricated housing but pushes it forward. My focus is simple: cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable homes that don’t look like compromises. Each villa needs to be practical enough to live in every day and beautiful enough to feel like home for decades.