Summer Villa VIII was designed to function as a part-time home for a Finnish family.
The house is located in the southern part of Finland on an uninhabited island in the archipelago of Turku. It stands on pillars on the shoreline by the open sea. During wintertime, ice blocks tend to appear under the building.
A breathtaking view over the seascape was desired to frame all the most important moments of daily living such as waking up, cooking, working at the desk, dining, thinking on the sofa, bathing in the sauna, etc. Thus, all the primary spaces were placed facing this view. Behind the building and in between the building mass and the surrounding rocks is a covered outer dining place, where it is comfortable to dine from early spring to late autumn, sheltered from the northern wind blowing in the open sea.
The house is equipped to serve throughout the year. It is built of Finnish timber and furnished in a minimalistic style, mainly with Scandinavian design.
Photos: Albert Arvilahti