Villa E
Solid timber single-family house
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Function
Single-family house
Size
190m2 + 30m2
Assignment
Principle and architectural design
Status
Construction begins 2022
Client
Private
Visualization
Jaume Cabistany
The functions of the house are placed carefully considering the sun’s path and the views within the site. The living room opens towards three directions: the yard on the sunny side partly through the terrace and on the other side towards the beautiful exposed rock and the existing vegetation. The terrace porch is glazed to allow longer usability of the outdoor spaces during spring and autumn season. Through this layout the views through the house and to the surrounding nature are carefully chosen.
The building is placed in the plot taking into consideration the possibilities for further infill construction when the neighbourhood’s master plan allows in the future.
The use of wood as a building material in a modern way and durability were some of the design drivers. The building’s frame is made of CLT massive timber elements: lower carbon footprint, simple construction and a healthy living environment. The facade claddings are made of larch, which allows for less maintenance and creates a beautiful patina to the building as it grows older.
The sloped roof gives a strong identity to the house and a sense of space indoors - giving room height to the living room but still within a human scale. At the same time the roof shape diminishes the building mass, allowing the high spaces without growing to much the volume of the house. The direction of the roof slope allows for later installation of solar panels. As a renewable source of energy the house has an air-to-water heat pump which works well together with floor heating.
The indoor materials and the fixed furniture are also thoughtfully chosen. Wood and large ceramic tiles together with the simpler rendered walls upstairs create a warm material palette with fresh aesthetics. As a singularity of the house, the home theater room has been carefully designed with an acoustician for a demanding ear.
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