Meteorite Wood Cabin / Ateljé Sotamaa

Approached on foot through the woods in eastern Finland – as preferred by the architect – it appears a mystical dark object among the trees. The inside of this ultra-modern, ecological, three-story wood building, however, is another world of open interconnected rooms that integrate with the surrounding landscape.

Unique wood home Meteorite supports interconnected living close to nature, a healthy low-carbon building made of prefabricated components.

Architects: Ateljé Sotamaa
Location: Kontiolahti, Finland
Photography: Tuukka Koski, Krista Keltanen

In the middle of the polyhedron-shaped Meteorite, a tall atrium with a large 10 sq. m. a skylight provides an unobstructed view of the stars. Another unique feature of the house is a catamaran net at a height of seven meters on which the residents can “float” to stimulate creative thinking. The meteorite is made of prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, it is insulated by air, and it uses natural ventilation.

Meteorite is not a large house, but on the inside it represents a completely new 3-dimensional open-concept way of organizing living space, unlike traditional houses where each room has a specific predetermined purpose, Meteorite’s architecture supports more dynamic relationships of its residents and a variety of life situations. Digital design and new prefabrication and construction technologies enable the creation of unique, aesthetically high-quality ecological wood buildings that add experiential value to their locations.