- Project: Summerhouse V
- Architect: Playa Architects
- Location: Finland, Hirvensalmi
- Year: 2021
- Area: 71 m2
- Photography: Tuomas Uusheimo
A Modern Retreat on the Shores of Lake Suontee
Perched atop a small rocky island in southern Finland’s Lake Suontee, Summerhouse V by Playa Architects reinterprets the Finnish summer cottage through refined simplicity, craftsmanship, and respect for nature. Designed to harmonize with the site’s rugged terrain and panoramic lake vistas, the dwelling offers a sanctuary that merges traditional island life with modern timber construction.
The project continues the family’s multigenerational relationship with the island, where earlier structures—a 1960s fishing cabin and a 1980s sauna—stand as markers of time and tradition.
Concept & Site Integration
Positioned at the island’s center on its most level and scenic plateau, Summerhouse V embraces the full expanse of the landscape while ensuring protection from the elements. The site enjoys long, unobstructed views of the open lake yet remains exposed to shifting winds. To mediate this condition, Playa Architects devised a saddle roof with deep eaves that provide shade and shelter, while covered terraces extend the living space outdoors.
The architectural composition balances openness and refuge: external walls are strategically placed to frame key lake vistas while shielding occupants from prevailing winds. The interplay of built form and void allows the natural environment to flow through the dwelling without compromising comfort.
Spatial Experience & Structure
The main interior space—combining kitchen and living functions—is defined by the expressive saddle roof structure, visible from within. The soaring timber geometry enhances spatial volume, directing views toward the lake and the evening sun.
Constructed using non-insulated CLT panels (cross-laminated timber) 200 mm thick, the building’s structure mimics the logic of traditional log cabins while taking advantage of modern CNC-machining precision. This approach enables elegant yet minimal detailing, making the assembly efficient and transportable.
Floors and roofs are insulated with wood fiber and supported by LVL (laminated veneer lumber) and glulam beams, ensuring both rigidity and sustainability. The entirety of the interior and exterior cladding is spruce, mostly left untreated to age naturally and blend with the surrounding rocks and pines.
Material Honesty & Craft
Every element of Summerhouse V expresses a quiet authenticity. The exposed spruce surfaces capture the changing Nordic light, shifting from golden hues in summer to silvery tones in winter. The untreated wood and straightforward joinery evoke a sense of permanence and integrity, aligning with the Finnish architectural ethos of minimal intervention and respect for place.
By allowing the natural materials to weather gracefully, Playa Architects ensures the house becomes part of the landscape—an architecture of endurance rather than imposition.
Summerhouse V exemplifies Playa Architects’ mastery of contextual modernism—an architecture that responds to environment, heritage, and human scale. Through the clarity of its structure, the honesty of its materials, and the sensitivity of its siting, the house reaffirms the timeless dialogue between shelter and landscape.
It is not merely a summerhouse; it is a continuation of Finnish architectural tradition, merging advanced timber technology with the poetry of simplicity.
