Unique wood home Meteorite supports interconnected living close to nature
‘Meteorite’ designed by Ateljé Sotamaa is a residential building located in seemingly remote Kontiolahti in eastern Finland. Approached on foot through the woods – as preferred by the architect – it appears a mystical dark object among the trees. The inside of this ultra-modern, ecological, three-storey wood building, however, is another world of open interconnected rooms that integrate with the surrounding landscape.
In the middle of the polyhedron-shaped Meteorite, a tall atrium with a large 10 sq. m. skylight provides an unobstructed view to the stars. Another unique feature of the house is a catamaran net at a height of seven meters on which the residents can “float” to stimulate creative thinking. Meteorite is made of prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, it is insulated by air, and it uses 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.
“Meteorite is not a large house, but on the inside it represents a completely new 3-dimensional open-concept way of organizing living space,” says 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.”
The building was originally designed 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 says. ”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.”
Healthy low-carbon building made of prefabricated components
At best, the massive wood walls of Meteorite contain 4 metres of air insulation, and all building services engineering and technology is hidden inside the walls. Inside the house, there is light Nordic wood all around, 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,” says 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.”
Team:
1. Architecture, design, Interior Design and Landscape Design - Ateljé Sotamaa: Kivi Sotamaa & Tuuli Sotamaa
2. Design Team: Filippo Fabi, Irene Pace, Pietro Barcaccia & William Dusen.
3. Structural Engineering, Civil Engineer - Vahanen: Ahti Rantonen, Kari Saarivirta and Antti Kalliola
4. Construction: Lahden Puurakentajat &Joen Kodin Rakentajat.
5. Lighting: SAAS Instruments
6. Glass: Finnglass
7. Sound Engineer - CLT element manufacturing: HOISKO CLT
8. Cabinetry Design/Installation: Heikki Paso
9. Glass Technology: Finnglass
10. Surface treatment materials: Chips and Bricks
Material Used:
Entrance
1. Curtain made with Kivi fabric by Marimekko
Kitchen & Living Room
1. Kitchen and appliances (oven, microwave, fridge, dishwasher) by IKEA
2. Kitchen structure model METHOD by IKEA
3. Kitchen faucet model EVO184 by Tapwell
4. Custom kitchen top & sink by DURAT
5. Induction Stove Series 6 by BOSCH
6. Carbon active kitchen hood Series 8 by BOSCH
7. In-built corner sofa designed by Sotamaa and manufactured by Heikki Paso
8. Tailored pillows and mattress cover with Klaus Haapaniemi fabric
9. Table designed by Sotamaa and manufactured by Heikki Paso
10. Carpet by Tikau
Panorama Room
1. Table Lento by Harri Koskine for Artek
Cozy Corner Office
1. In-built sofa with bookshelf designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
2. Tailored pillows and sofa mattress with Klaus Haapaniemi fabric
3. In-built office table designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
4. Cubic shelves designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
Master Bedroom
1. In-built bed with drawers designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
2. Tailored mattress with Klaus Haapaniemi fabric
Bathroom
1. WC seat model Glow 66 by IDO
2. WC flushing plate model Sigma 20 by Geberit
3. WC water cassette model Duofix sigma high 112cm by Geberit
4. In-built WC cassette designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by DURAT
5. In-built washbasin furniture designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
6. Custom washbasin and top designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by DURAT
7. Washbasin faucet model SK069 by Tapwell
8. Shower system model TVM7200 by Tapwell
9. Bathroom shelves designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by DURAT
Laundry Room
1. Washing machine and dryer Series 6 by BOSCH
2. Water heater Jaspi vlk-100
Sky Bar
1. Bar cabinet designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
2. Cubic shelves designed by Sotamaa, manufactured by Heikki Paso
Catamaran Net Lounge
1. Catamar net by Loft Nets
ARTWORKS & ACCESSORIES
Kitchen & Living Room
1. Owl figurine by Lillemor Mannerheim-Klingspor for Arabia Ceramic
2. Tarina Art Decanter by Arabia ceramic factory, department of industrial arts
3. PS Jonsberg vase by Hella Jongerius for IKEA
4. Ultima Thule plate by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala
5. Trumpet tumblers by Kaj Frank for Nuutajärvi
6. Teema plates by Kaj Franck for Iittala
7. Kartio pitcher by Kaj Franck for Iittala
8. Rooster Decanter by Kaj Franck for Nuutajärvi
9. Flora bowl by Oiva Toikka for Iittala
10. Vase by Gunnel Nyman for Nuutäjarvi-Nottsjö
11. Bud vase by Edith Heath for Heath Ceramics
12. Fiskars Hard Face Casserole 5 L / 26 cm
Sky Bar
1. Glass bird Kardinaali (Cardinal) by Oiva Toikka for Nuutajärvi
2. Orkidea (Orchid) vase by Timo Sarpaneva for Iittala
