House Riihi by OOPEAA // Alajärvi, Finland.

Designed by Finnish Practice OOPEAA (Office for Peripheral Architecture), House Riihi consists of three buildings arranged around an inner courtyard, with vertical timber slats wrapping the exterior. The three structures, containing the house, the atelier and the garage, give shape to an intimate garden, creating an optimal microclimate around the house by minimising the impact of the northerly winds blowing in the valley. Commissioned by a family of an entrepreneur father, an artist mother and their two sons, the house needed to accommodate traditional living areas as well as a space for family hobbies and a studio to serve as an atelier.

Located in Alajärvi, a small village in eastern Ostrobothnia in Finland, the house blends in with the surrounding landscape, it’s composition subtly recallling the feeling of a traditional Finnish farm. Being a low energy building, the L-shaped house is made of timber exterior, interior, and frame, with large pitched roofs clad in aluminium reflecting the landscape in an unexpected way. Compressed timber has been used for insulation and paper has been used for sealing. All metal parts of the building are made from raw untreated aluminium.  The lighting system in the house is supplied with batteries charged with solar power. With sustainability in mind, the entire house was designed so that it can be recycled at the end of its life cycle. Beautifully designed and kind to the planet – a winning combination more of us ought to strive for.

[Images courtesy of Office for Peripheral Architecture. Photography by Jussi Tiainen.]