Top 5 Reasons to Consider Scandinavian Architecture for your Next Building Project

One style that has been very popular for some time now, is Scandinavian influenced design. The good thing about Scandinavian architecture is that it always looks modern and rarely looks outdated, can complement its location and blend in well with any environment (even outside of Scandinavia). It is beautifully simple as well as simply functional whilst looking natural and almost as if it has grown organically in the natural world. Here are 5 reasons why you should be considering Scandinavian architecture for your next building project:

1. Environmentally friendly and energy efficient

In today's world, it is important to be able to try to make new buildings as 'green' as possible. This has been a passion for Scandinavian countries for a long time, and why they have a tradition for designing and creating passive buildings and producing low carbon emissions. An EPC survey is a great way to understand how energy efficient a new or old building is - and has the potential to be, and Scandinavian architects always seem to have something up their sleeve to help to make their designs more environmentally friendly, whether it is super eco-friendly insulation or modern energy saving technology.

2. Light

One of the defining characteristics of Scandinavian architecture is its ability to let in as much natural light as possible. With short days, getting enough light can be a big issue in Scandinavian countries meaning that building designers are often looking for ways to keep the building as light and fresh-feeling as possible. Natural light is important in all of our lives, helping us to focus, fight off depression and generally feel good about ourselves, so making a building as light as possible is a great idea.

In addition to the natural light, colors on the inside of buildings are light and muted to give the rooms a feeling of spaciousness and style.

3. Clean Lines and Functionality

Clean lines are another major characteristic of Scandinavian architecture. They like sleek, they like clean and they like fresh looking, whilst being functional and not fussy. This means that you get both aesthetically pleasing architecture whilst being able to do what it was actually made to do.

Ornate and decorative touches are a no-no in Scandinavian design, helping you to keep the building as functional yet stylish as possible.

4. Cosy and Comfortable

Due to the long and cold winters that Scandinavian countries experience, a major concept that flows through all things Scandinavian (not just architecture, but culture, interior design, food, personalities...) is 'hygge'. Hygge is the idea of being comfortable and cosy and is also very important in Scandinavian architecture. In fact, in Scandinavian culture, one of the biggest compliments that you can give someone about their home is that it is hygge.

This idea is achieved through creating cosy corners, using natural materials and creating natural textures, flooding the space with natural light and hiding unexpected nooks and crannies about the building. The kind of place where you could imagine wanting to curl up and read a book on a cold, dark night. These cosy and comfortable aspects mixed with the stylish, clean lines are what makes a building characteristically 'Scandinavian' looking.

5. Blending in with nature

The Scandinavians have a lot of respect for nature and this is shown through their love for being eco-friendly, as well as their concepts of 'bringing the outside in'. Whether it is through using natural light or natural materials or mimicking the lines of nature and using rules based on those of the natural world, Scandinavian architecture is able to seemingly blend in with nature whilst staying characteristically clean and modern looking.

When it comes to designing a new building or, incidentally re-furbishing an older one, using the concepts behind Scandinavian architecture is a great place to begin. It allows you to create a building that is not only good for the environment, but it also puts nature and the rules of nature at the centre of the whole design. 

Along with clean lines and natural shape and form, one of the most appealing aspects of Scandinavian architecture is its unique ability to be stylish yet extremely functional.