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MNY Arkitekter completes “down-to-earth” house for two sisters in Finland
CategoriesArchitecture

MNY Arkitekter completes “down-to-earth” house for two sisters in Finland

By Zarkon Group,

Finnish studio MNY Arkitekter has completed Two Sisters, a timber holiday home in Salo that is designed to allow two siblings to live “together separately”.

To create a dedicated space for each of the two sisters, MNY Arkitekter divided the home into two standalone units joined by a central terrace overlooking the surrounding rocks and pine trees on Finland’s west coast.

Timber exterior of Two Sisters holiday home in FinlandTimber exterior of Two Sisters holiday home in Finland
The two units are joined by a central terrace

“In many ways the site is one of typical Finnish inner archipelago terrain and vegetation, and one of the main goals was to preserve as many trees and visible rocks as possible,” MNY Arkitekter founder Mathias Nyström told Dezeen.

“Equality of the views from the two units was also important and had a significant impact on the layout.”

Living area within Two Sisters in FinlandLiving area within Two Sisters in Finland
Each unit has large windows. Photo by Mathias Nyström

The home’s two units “fan out” to provide privacy and avoid the surrounding trees, while making space for an existing sauna, utility room and overnight shelter on the site.

Each block features large windows at its western end, looking towards the sea and pine trees to the west. Openings facing the central terrace have been placed to minimise overlooking.

Kitchen interior of holiday home by MNY ArkitekterKitchen interior of holiday home by MNY Arkitekter
Black kitchen counters feature in each living space

“Being in one of the units you can only see the other from certain points, otherwise you mostly sense the existence of the other part,” said Nyström.

“You are on your own, but feel part of a bigger entity,” he added.

Each living space at Two Sisters has been finished with black kitchen counters, a dining table and a large freestanding fireplace. Built-in bench seating provides space to sit and look out over the landscape.

In the northern block, a bed is housed in a small nook off this living space backed by a full-height window, while to the south the slightly larger unit provides a double bedroom and two single bedrooms alongside the living space.

Bedroom interior within timber holiday home in Finland by MNY ArkitekterBedroom interior within timber holiday home in Finland by MNY Arkitekter
A small bed is backed by a full-height window in the larger unit

Two Sisters has a prefabricated structure of glue-laminated timber, finished externally with vertical planks of spruce. Internally, pale timber walls, floors and ceilings are treated with lye.

“The aim for the atmosphere was to create a uniform, serene space where nature plays a big part – the end result is very uplifting,” said Nyström.

“The weathered silver-grey wood will fuse the building in the landscape with rocks and pines. All in all it is a down to earth and subtle building,” he added.

Living space interior within Two Sisters holiday homeLiving space interior within Two Sisters holiday home
The home is constructed from glued-laminated timber

Elsewhere in Finland, MNY Arkitekter created a home on the shoreline of a small lake in Tenala using seven different varieties of timber.

Other recent projects in the country include a sauna and restaurant on the edge of Lake Saimaa by Studio Puisto and the steel-clad Dance House by JKMM and ILO architects in Helsinki.

The photography is by Multifoto Ab unless otherwise stated.

Reference

White Arkitekter designs stormwater pond with winding pathway
CategoriesArchitecture

White Arkitekter designs stormwater pond with winding pathway

By Zarkon Group,

Swedish practice White Arkitekter has completed the Exercisfältet Stormwater Pond in Uppsala, Sweden, providing water purification and flood protection while also creating a biodiverse landscape for local residents.

The pond is located in Exercisfältet, a former military training area that has recently been subject to a large amount of development that has reduced water infiltration.

Stormwater pond by White Arkitekter
The pond is located in a former military training area

Instead of treating the pond as a purely infrastructural project, White Arkitekter took the opportunity to create a biodiverse environment around the pond to “celebrate the joy of being part of nature”.

“With all the new demands on public spaces that come with climate adaptation, it’s very important that landscape architects engage creatively with technical requirements,” lead architect Charlotta Råsmark told Dezeen.

Exercisfältet i Stockholm
A concrete wall provides flood protection

“We need to create spaces that can be problem solvers and places for beauty, pleasure and enjoyment at the same time,” she continued.

To the north, the pond’s “city side” follows the line of the new housing blocks with a concrete wall providing flood protection.

Pathway in Stockholm
The pond is wrapped by a wooden pathway

Opposite, the south-facing “nature side” follows the undulating forms of the landscape, and the whole pond is wrapped by a winding wooden pathway with a weathered steel balustrade.

Untreated wood and steel were used for the walkways, both to minimise the leakage of chemicals into the water and to blend in as much as possible with the surrounding landscape from afar.

View of Stockholm pond
Green spaces surround the pond

The pond itself was made as small as possible to maximise the green space for recreation around it, as well as providing space onto which the water level can safely rise in the event of heavy rainfall.

“To stop the rapid decline of biodiversity, we need to make more space in urban areas for ecosystems that many people find messy and unattractive; the city greenery can’t only be about tidy lawns and borders,” Råsmark said.

“But a messy ecosystem in a city context must also be welcoming to the average city dweller and that’s where the importance of clearly visible design comes in,” she continued.

The pond has been designed to accommodate the ongoing development of the surrounding area, becoming part of a larger green belt stretching from the centre of Uppsala to lake Mälaren to the south.

Stormwater pond in Stockholm
The pathway has a weathered-steel balustrade

The Stormwater Pond at Exercisfältet has recently been longlisted in the mixed-use project category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

In China, studio eLandscript took a similar approach to integrating the ecological and the urban, combining the creation of a stormwater pond with a new wetland park on the site of a former power station.

The photography is by Måns Berg.

Reference