THE BRIDGE HOUSE
BUILT | 2006
FINLAND
This country house, designed as a permanent residence for a family of artists and their five children, is located on the shore of a lake in a pine forest.
The project utilises the principles of organic architecture laid down by Alvar Aalto: the primary building materials are pine and granite extracted nearby. ‘Bridge House’ is inspired by the environment, built around it, and harmonised with it. It is embedded in the hills, which, when parted, create a natural path to the viewpoint by the lake.
The south side of the house faces the lake. The spacious terraces here offer stunning views of nature. Horizontal sun blinds and awnings on the southern facade not only provide protection from the sun, but also create cosy seating areas for relaxation and al fresco dining.
In turn, the northern facade of the house, which faces the entrance group, is characterised by a contrasting design to the southern facade. Here, vertical lamella conceals a revitalising ornament, creating a unique visual impression - once a day, in the morning, when the sun shines from the east, the facade takes on a new appearance.
The architecture works 'through-light', and the house maximises the use of natural light for the interiors, which creates a comfortable natural atmosphere inside.
‘Bridge House’ implies a ‘bridge’ between older and younger generations, adults and children. The role of the connecting element of this ‘bridge’ is performed by the living room. It ‘hangs’ above the entrance groups on the north side: on the left, there is the entrance for parents, and on the right - for children.
The living room and bedrooms are separated by a light pocket, which is designed to transmit light into the playroom near the entrance. At the same time, it serves as sound insulation, ‘cutting off’ the noise of the living room, providing comfort and silence for the children, and allowing them to play and relax peacefully inside the house.
All the trees growing on the site have been preserved and carefully incorporated into the architecture. Two of them were placed in the interior of the house: one of the pine trees became part of the design of the swimming pool, while the other was organically incorporated into the interior of the living room.
Within the interior of the house, the natural golden hue of the pine has been preserved. It is visible in the ‘atriums’ through which the trees grow, as well as in the place where the living room and bedrooms are separated by a light pocket. The same colour is also used for the ornament cuts on the northern facade, which emphasises and ‘warms up’ the light penetrating them.
The project utilises the principles of organic architecture laid down by Alvar Aalto: the primary building materials are pine and granite extracted nearby. ‘Bridge House’ is inspired by the environment, built around it, and harmonised with it. It is embedded in the hills, which, when parted, create a natural path to the viewpoint by the lake.
The south side of the house faces the lake. The spacious terraces here offer stunning views of nature. Horizontal sun blinds and awnings on the southern facade not only provide protection from the sun, but also create cosy seating areas for relaxation and al fresco dining.
In turn, the northern facade of the house, which faces the entrance group, is characterised by a contrasting design to the southern facade. Here, vertical lamella conceals a revitalising ornament, creating a unique visual impression - once a day, in the morning, when the sun shines from the east, the facade takes on a new appearance.
The architecture works 'through-light', and the house maximises the use of natural light for the interiors, which creates a comfortable natural atmosphere inside.
‘Bridge House’ implies a ‘bridge’ between older and younger generations, adults and children. The role of the connecting element of this ‘bridge’ is performed by the living room. It ‘hangs’ above the entrance groups on the north side: on the left, there is the entrance for parents, and on the right - for children.
The living room and bedrooms are separated by a light pocket, which is designed to transmit light into the playroom near the entrance. At the same time, it serves as sound insulation, ‘cutting off’ the noise of the living room, providing comfort and silence for the children, and allowing them to play and relax peacefully inside the house.
All the trees growing on the site have been preserved and carefully incorporated into the architecture. Two of them were placed in the interior of the house: one of the pine trees became part of the design of the swimming pool, while the other was organically incorporated into the interior of the living room.
Within the interior of the house, the natural golden hue of the pine has been preserved. It is visible in the ‘atriums’ through which the trees grow, as well as in the place where the living room and bedrooms are separated by a light pocket. The same colour is also used for the ornament cuts on the northern facade, which emphasises and ‘warms up’ the light penetrating them.