With an Otherworldly Shape, This Finnish Cabin Fends Off Subarctic Cold
The Meteorite by Ateljé Sotamaa, clad in 272 prefabricated panels of cross-laminated timber, uses air gaps to keep the interior warm.
The Meteorite by Ateljé Sotamaa, clad in 272 prefabricated panels of cross-laminated timber, uses air gaps to keep the interior warm.
In pastoral Kontiolahti, 285 miles northeast of Helsinki, it’s a crisp autumn afternoon and Ulla-Maaria Koivula is dismantling a newly constructed beaver dam with a trowel and sickle. She’s the founder and CEO of the Palo Alto, California–based education technology company ThingLink.
But since she returned to Finland with her family last year, maintaining the land where her grandparents once grew barley and rye has become part of her daily routine. Surrounded by the homestead’s fields and the wild and rugged splendor of nearby Koli National Park, Ulla has regained a childlike sense of calm amid a worldwide pandemic. "This is the one root that I have had all through my life," she says.
Set in a clearing surrounded by spruce and birch trees in Kontiolahti, Finland, a cabin known as the Meteorite cuts a striking profile. The structure is made entirely of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Air gaps of various sizes behind the facade keep the interior warm without conventional insulation, even during Finland’s freezing winters, and give the Meteorite its out-of-this-world shape.
Photo by Krista Keltanen
We walk deeper into the landscape, as a monolithic form slowly emerges from among the gently swaying birch and spruce trees. The closer we get, the more remarkable the structure’s presence becomes. Inspired by the Ice Age rock formations found throughout the region, the Meteorite, so named for obvious reasons, is a faceted dwelling designed by Kivi and Tuuli Sotamaa, the brother-and-sister team behind Ateljé Sotamaa.
Ateljé Sotamaa designed the faceted structure as a guest house for Ulla-Maaria Koivula and her family, although during the pandemic it has served as an office for Ulla, a recording studio for her husband, Jonathan Hull, and an after-school playroom for their children.
Photo by Krista Keltanen
The Meteorite’s interior is clad in spruce from floor to ceiling, and Ulla furnished the living areas with hand-selected works by Finnish designers. The dining area features a built-in corner sofa designed by Ateljé Sotamaa, with slipcovers and pillows by Klaus Haapaniemi & Co.
Photo by Krista Keltanen
See the full story on Dwell.com: With an Otherworldly Shape, This Finnish Cabin Fends Off Subarctic Cold
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