09
INTRO
This hotel is conceived as a contemporary interpretation of traditional Sámi goahti forms, embedded within a gently sloping Finnish hillside. This strategy minimizes visual impact while reinforcing a close relationship to the surrounding landscape, allowing the architecture to recede into the terrain during the day.
Gabion walls anchor the structures into the hillside, providing both structural stability and thermal mass. Filled with locally sourced stone, these walls establish a dialogue with the site while offering a durable and low-maintenance construction system suited to harsh climatic conditions.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES
Looking through the various apertures becomes a focused, almost ritualized act of observation. The thickened envelope of the hotel suppresses peripheral distractions, narrowing the field of vision and intensifying awareness of the sky.
MATERIALITY
Materially, the project emphasizes robustness and restraint. Timber framing and interior linings introduce warmth in contrast to the rugged stone-filled gabions, while green roofs further integrate the buildings into the landscape. Together, these strategies produce an architecture that is both grounded and atmospheric—one that reframes vernacular forms as instruments for environmental engagement and immersive viewing.
THE OUTCOME
The project results in an architecture that is both environmentally embedded and experientially precise. By integrating goahti-derived forms with the terrain and orienting each unit toward the Northern Lights, the hotel transforms a remote landscape into a curated field of observation. The use of gabion walls and earth integration enhances durability and thermal performance, while the controlled apertures establish a clear relationship between interior stillness and external dynamism.
