Matchbox houses

Two detached houses consist of rectangular blocks placed on top of each other like overlapping matchboxes. The lower floors settled in different directions than the upper floors in order to have both sunny outdoor areas and the best possible views even to the nearby sea. Old stone fences, rocks and pines were spared to give the site a temporal perspective. The buildings were to be rooted in rocky forest like setting. Facade brickwork is randomly live, resembling pine bark.

The floors are joined by an open, glass-covered space, where daylight is screened. At the heart of the buildings is a warm wood core with smaller, more private spaces inside. The buildings are heated with geothermal heat and self-sufficient ground cooling is used for cooling.

Location
Espoo
Design and construction
2016-2019
Gross floor area
720 m²
Interior design
Poiat Office Oy
Photos
Arsi Ikäheimonen