"We get specific input on how to provide an optimum of daylight in our designs. We are better when we work with VELUX."

- Ditte Marie Kollerup, manager of KFS Boligbyg

KFS Boligbyg is a developer designing and constructing single-family houses - the preferred habitation form in Denmark. Architects, finance experts, drafting technicians, construction engineers, carpenters, bricklayers - together 43 people, lead by a charismatic manager, Ditte Maria Kollerup, are working on individual projects, united by high standards and a well-organized design process. The dialogue between VELUX and KFS started about 10 years ago with their project following the "Active House" principles and continued since then.

Design: KFS Boligbyg A/S

KFS Boligbyg keeps a long relationship with their clients, as every house comes with ten years guarantee. The feedback from the clients helps to perfect every little detail, from the amount of cupboards to the placement of electric light, as the much-needed daylight hours are short in the wintertime. As individual houses in Denmark usually have no air-condition, VELUX windows are crucial in efficient discharging of the hot or stale air through the roof. The permanent shortage of sunlight leads to large glazings, which can be a disadvantage for the privacy of the inhabitants. Protecting the interiors from unwanted insight was of great importance in the Galten house, as the neighbouring houses are close. In Denmark it's allowed to put a wall with windows as close as 2.5m from the site border.

Modern kitchen with VELUX roof window and sloped ceiling.

Design: KFS Boligbyg A/S; Photos: Torben Eskerod

For many families, a sloped roof is a synonym for cosiness, an archetypical image of a house. Still, 90% of single-family homes in Denmark only have a single floor. People like having all functions on one level, connected to the garden; the children run in and out of the house without any obstacles. Most of the time if a family decides for a two-storey house, they want a roof terrace - which increases the costs tremendously.

The house offers additional space on the first floor while keeping all necessary rooms downstairs. Lifting the volume a bit and inserting a wooden floor causes a cost increase which is small compared to the advantages of this modification of a standard, single-floor house with a sloped roof. A cosy living area and office upstairs as well as a generous room height in the kitchen and dining area are not only an eye-catcher but, as mentioned, it gives a family more privacy and space, which is crucial in the cold months spent mainly indoors.

Modern house with high-pitched roof and outdoor patio area.

Design: KFS Boligbyg A/S; Photos: Torben Eskerod

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The Galten house is an experimental house, aiming to change the habit of single-floor houses. As two floors result in more area than one in a similarly compact volume, the consumption of energy per square meter drops significantly.

Asked, what makes the Galten house special, different from the majority of other single-family homes, Ditte Kollerup replies: "We designed a house where people can grow old and use only the downstairs space in their everyday lives. The double-height room in the kitchen and dining area is a true eye-catcher - people love double-height rooms. Without the second floor, it would have just been a luxury, but as a part of the design scheme with a staircase, it also has a function."