Architecture and design studio Ateljé Sotamaa has built a polyhedron-shaped cabin inspired by rugged woods of Kontiolahti region in Finland. 

The cabin, called Meteorite, is a 65-square-metre residential building located in seemingly remote Kontiolahti in eastern Finland, which supports interconnected living close to nature.

The cabin is approached on foot through the woods – as preferred by the architect –"the cabin appears a mystical dark object among the trees." 

On the other hand, the inside of this ultra-modern, ecological, three-storey wood building, which is described as another world of open interconnected rooms that integrate with the surrounding landscape. 

In the heart of the polyhedron-shaped Meteorite, a tall atrium, occupying a large 10 square meters skylight, provides an unobstructed view to the stars. 

Another unique feature of the house is a catamaran net at a height of 7 meters on which the residents can “float” to stimulate creative thinking. 

The cabin is made of prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, it is insulated by air, and it is designed by using passive environmental systems like natural ventilation. 

"The building that has captured close to 60 tons of carbon dioxide into its materials is introduced to the public for the first time in an exhibition at the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki during Helsinki Design Week," according to Ateljé Sotamaa.

"Meteorite is not a large house, but on the inside it represents a completely new 3-dimensional open-concept way of organizing living space" said Ateljé Sotamaa co-founder Kivi Sotamaa. 

"Unlike traditional houses where each room has a specific predetermined purpose, Meteorite’s architecture supports more dynamic relationships of its residents and a variety of life situations." 

"Digital design and new prefabrication and construction technologies enable the creation of unique, aesthetically high-quality ecological wood buildings that add experiential value to their locations," Sotamaa added.

As the studio explained, the cabin was originally built to function as a guesthouse for Ulla-Maaria Koivula, founder and CEO of education technology provider ThingLink based in Palo Alto, California, on her grandparents’ old homestead in rural Karelia of Finland. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the wildfires raging in California, however, her family has decided to live in and work from the province more or less full-time.

"Every building materializes our relationship with the natural environment," Koivula said. 

"My inspiration to have a unique wood house built in this country sprouted from the rocky hills and rugged woods of Koli, rich in erratic boulders that also served Finland’s defense during the Winter War. Meteorite reflects the connection my soul has to Finnish nature, and looking through one of its large windows to the misty fields around takes me back to the calm days of childhood." 

"We use the house as a creative space for remote work, hobbies and hanging out together. In the old days, families gathered into a large horizontal kitchen space to be together; we now interconnect vertically with each other and with the surrounding nature. In this time and age with effective telecommunications and speed trains to the metropolitan region, this is a paradise for us to get settled into the good life," Koivula added.

Meteorite is a healthy low-carbon building made of prefabricated components

The massive wood walls of Meteorite contain 4 metres of air insulation, and the studio hides all building services engineering and technology inside the walls. 

Inside the house, the architects use light Nordic wood all around, there is no plastic anywhere in the structure, and nothing prone to moulding. 

The roof, too, is of solid wood, oiled to resist the elements and age beautifully. The large windows bringing in nature are all electrically heated.

"This was a unique project also in terms of structural design and detailing," said Ahti Rantonen, managing director of structural engineering at Vahanen Group that provides engineering consultancy for landmark projects such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and Musiikkitalo of Helsinki. 

"We are delighted about cooperation with Ateljé Sotamaa and hope there will be more opportunities to work on top wood construction projects in the future, regardless of their locations. Important aspects involved include low carbon impact and healthy building." 

"The living experience in Meteorite will be very close to that of a traditional log house with all artificial materials eliminated. Another key element is the digital design and fabrication process. All parts of the house can be prefabricated and assembled on the construction site, which means they need to be computer-modelled on a highly detailed level and delivered on site just on time."

Image © Kivi Sotamaa

Image © Kivi Sotamaa

Image © Tuukka Koski

Image © Tuukka Koski

Image © Tuukka Koski

First floor plan

Second floor plan

Third floor plan

Section

Exploded diagram

Inside-outside systems diagram

Helsinki-based Ateljé Sotamaa is an international design and architecture studio, founded by brother and sister Kivi Sotamaa & Tuuli Sotamaa. The studio designs architectural projects, interior design, exhibition, public sculptures, and products.

Project facts

Project name: Meteorite

Architects: Ateljé Sotamaa

Design Team: Filippo Fabi, Irene Pace, Pietro Barcaccia & William Dusen.

Location: Kontiolahti, Finland. 

Size: 65m2 

Structural Engineering: Vahanen / Ahti Rantonen, Kari Saarivirta and Antti Kalliola

Construction: Lahden Puurakentajat & Joen Kodin Rakentajat.

Lighting: SAAS Instruments

Glass: Finnglass 

CLT: Hoisko CLT

Surface treatment materials: Chips and Bricks 

All images © Krista Keltanen unless otherwise stated.

All drawings © Ateljé Sotamaa

> via Ateljé Sotamaa