Oak House: A Hexagonal Wooden Tower by Ulf Mejergren in Sweden

The Oak House, designed by Ulf Mejergren Architects (UMA), rises as a hexagonal wooden tower in Kalmar, Sweden. Standing 6.5 meters tall, the structure merges the form of an ancient hollow oak with a small red house, creating a totemic figure that feels both familiar and slightly surreal. Children enter through a low opening in the “trunk,” where daylight filters from above through thick, branch-like wooden forms.

Architecture of the Oak House

Positioned beside Värsnäs Preschool in the new Snurrom district, the Oak House connects the school to the protected oak forests of the Värsnäs nature reserve. Around fifty ancient oaks stand nearby — sculptural giants shaped by centuries of weather and time. Their presence inspired a two-part sculptural artwork: the outdoor Oak House (Ekstugan) and the indoor Oak Place (Ekplatsen).

Inside the tower, children discover equipment for outdoor excursions, natural artifacts to explore, and framed illustrations that reveal the hidden world of insects, birds, and fungi living within an oak ecosystem.

Oak Place Extends the Oak House Concept Indoors

UMA continues the narrative indoors with Oak Place, a sculptural space shaped like a generous tree stump. Designed as both furniture and micro-architecture, its form echoes the Oak House, translating its forest presence into a warm interior experience.

End-grain oak flooring and broad oak wall panels create a tactile, cozy atmosphere. Oak Place adapts easily — functioning as a reading corner, workspace, exhibition area, or small stage. Its placement allows children to look toward the Oak House outside, linking the two installations into one continuous architectural gesture.

Together, the Oak House and Oak Place form a unified experience that blends play, nature, and design. They invite children to explore indoors and outdoors while letting the oak tree shape discovery, imagination, and the identity of the preschool.

Written by Otávio Santiago, a visual designer whose work blends clarity, rhythm, and storytelling. Between Berlin and Lisbon, he creates across print, motion, branding, and immersive 3D environments.