A circular connection
Pistohiekka Resort is breathing new life into a forgotten holiday destination in Finland. These remarkable wooden buildings designed by Studio Puisto have transformed the area into an architectural experience.
It is said that the Finns invented the sauna. And even though that isn’t quite correct, as many cultures around the world have their own kind of sweat lodges, it is clear that hot air baths are a central part of life here. After all, Finland has three million saunas – with a population of 5.5 million people. That’s more than the total number of cars on the road! Sweating isn’t just done in private, either. Whereas others might choose a conference room or fine dining to do business, the Finns are known to suggest “naked” diplomacy with a herbal aufguss.
Sauna culture was inscribed onto UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020, and it can be experienced especially well on Finland’s lake plateau, which is the largest lake district in Europe. The landscape offers a unique setting, interweaving the dark blue of the water and the lush green of the forest-clad skerries. Tempere is the world’s unofficial sauna capital, and also home to the oldest public sauna in Finland – Rajaportti – which opened in 1906.
A forgotten destination makes its comeback
On the banks of the largest lake, Saimaa, sweeping views of the picturesque surroundings can be enjoyed from the sauna. Long sandy beaches, idyllic huts and the Astuvansalmi rock paintings with their approx. 6,000-year history attract hosts of visitors every year.
The curved inner courtyard of the restaurant creates viewpoints both in and out of the building, and the covered sauna exteriors with a unique, round opening in the roof create a thematic link between the buildings.
Studio Puisto
Pistohiekka Beach is located on the picturesque Route 62, which meanders through dense forests and also crosses the water. In a cove sheltered by the cliffs, a popular holiday resort used to thrive here, but in the 80s this closed and increasingly fell into disrepair.
However, now the scenic cove is making a name for itself once again as a regular fixture in guidebooks. Reopening Pistohiekka Resort has also brought back the long-awaited infrastructure with restaurant, sauna and several holiday chalets. The design is by Studio Puisto, whose contemporary wooden buildings introduced some attractive architecture to the shores of the lake. “Pistohiekka sauna-restaurant is one of the key development sites in Studio Puisto’s design for developing tourism and wood construction in Pistohiekka,” the Helsinki-based architects explain.
Round apertures with sky view
The restaurant and sauna facilities are housed in two central structures. These staggered cubatures have square floor plans with circular cut-outs in the middle as a connection between the two sections.
Pistohiekka sauna-restaurant is one of the key development sites in Studio Puisto’s design for developing tourism and wood construction in Pistohiekka.
Studio Puisto
Studio Puisto explains: “The curved inner courtyard of the restaurant creates viewpoints both in and out of the building, and the covered sauna exteriors with a unique, round opening in the roof create a thematic link between the buildings.”
The roof of the smaller sauna building extends across all four corners, whereas the lakeside corner of the restaurant building is only partially covered. Here, a terraced outdoor area leads down to the sandy shores. The interplay of dark-painted and natural timber in the outdoor areas creates an intriguing and yet harmonious whole. This austere design, the dark wooden surfaces and the ostensibly seamless transition from interior to exterior are reminiscent of Japanese architecture. Together with the bright interiors typical of Scandinavian design, such a combination also drives the interior design style known as Japandi, which to some extent serves as a response to the extravagant maximalism of recent years.
Meticulous attention to detail
Aerial views of the new lake resort show that the architects at Studio Puisto planned the construction down to the smallest detail. The dark buildings are embedded in cream-coloured sand and the strict geometry of the resort area. Enclosed by dense forests on one side, the wide expanse of water stretches out on the other.
In their project description, Studio Puisto writes: “The set of buildings designed along with the overall development design for the area was refined together with the project owner into a unique overall concept highlighting the special aspects of the area and making the resort a place worth visiting even from further away.”
When viewed from above, the scene looks as if it could have been painted. The harmonious setting also reveals that the planners obviously tried to keep ground sealing to a minimum. With extensive amounts of timber, the buildings serve as a carbon sink, and the entire development is dismountable and biologically degradable. This brings the whole project full circle, not just in its design, but also in its use of materials.
Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Photos: Marc Goodwin