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Architects: Pirinen Salo Oy
- Area: 3340 ft²
- Year: 2024
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Manufacturers: iGuzzini, B DESIGN, Kartanon Mittakaluste, Tiileri Oy
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Lead Architects: Teemu Pirinen and Lauri Salo
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Constructor: Sakela Rakennus Oy, Erkka Tervo, Esa Pulska, Janne Silfver, Esa Linna and Torsti Liuska - Sakela Rakennus Oy
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Construction Engineer: Rakennuskonsultointi T. Kekki Oy, Toni Kekki - Rakennuskonsultointi T. Kekki Oy
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Building Consultant: Tundra Consulting Oy, Harri Halonen - Tundra Consulting Oy
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HVAC Engineer: Iisalmen Putkiasennus Oy, Sami Säisä - Iisalmen Putkiasennus Oy
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Electrical Engineer: Sähköpalvelu Seppo Tuovinen Oy, Tino Ravelin - Sähköpalvelu Seppo Tuovinen Oy
Text description provided by the architects. The villa integrates the landscape and surrounding nature into daily life. The nature-formed main space is carefully tuned to reflect the landscape beyond the glass walls. Combined with a colour scheme that creates visual connections to the surroundings, this design makes it possible to live as part of the landscape.
The villa is situated on the bank of an L-bend of the Ivalo River, overlooking the rapids. Living spaces and bedrooms mirror the bend's form, allowing for a 1.5 km parallel view to the northeast (sunrise) and a 1 km parallel view to the northwest (sunset) along the river, visible from both living and sleeping areas. Just beyond the river begins the vast Hammastunturi wilderness.
Upon arrival, visitors first pass the garage, which intentionally blocks the view of the main building. Though it shares the villa's architectural language, its form subtly indicates a lower position in the building hierarchy. At the riverside corner of the garage, the villa's striking form suddenly comes into full view. From there, you arrive at the main entrance. The composition of the building's masses creates an optical illusion, making the front and tail appear the same size. Due to its expressive form, the villa allows for a straightforward choice of façade materials. The comfortably mundane exterior materials introduce a sense of home and familiarity, while the facades facing the river contrast sharply, clad in glass, untreated aluminum, and white metal frames—an arctic-inspired palette that creates an ethereal, frosty image.
Stepping inside, the expectation of grandeur set by the view, the natural surroundings, and the villa's striking form is momentarily subverted. The first interior space is a low, dim, and windowless hallway—a deliberate design choice derived from Finnish tradition: this is where boots and coats are left behind before entering the house. Then, a door opens to a dramatic reveal. Beyond this threshold, you enter the villa's double-height main hall, where a magnificent cascading view unfolds toward the river. Staircases rise on either side, and sunlight pours in through a vast skylight. As you walk toward the kitchen, dining, and living areas, the walls recede, and the intensity of the deep blue surfaces propels the experience forward. The dense motifs and expressive forms integrate the landscape into the interior, while the multicoloured ceiling, reminiscent of a forest canopy, fosters a sense of calm between the vivid blue, double-height hall and the surrounding nature. The ceiling's hues establish a visual dialogue with the tones of the landscape. A green kitchen island, cascading stairs, and a massive fireplace define the hall's sections, making the vast space comprehensible.
At night, you might retrace your steps up the cascading stairs toward the entrance, pausing to take in the symmetrical composition of the landscape and the skylit hall. Twin staircases lead to the mezzanine, where the enveloping blue, dreamlike space guides you toward the bedrooms. Each bedroom overlooks the river, with pure white surfaces and sculpted ceilings that evoke the experience of sleeping under a canvas lean-to, gazing at the rushing rapids. The Master Bedroom enjoys parallel views of the river both to the northeast and northwest. In its en-suite bathroom, you can shower beside a glass wall, fully immersed in the landscape. In summer, the crystal-clear river reveals trout swimming upstream, completing the villa's seamless connection with nature.
