House Åkerudden was built on a lakeshore in the middle of the Western Uusimaa cultural landscape. In its clarity and apparent modesty the building finds its natural place in the landscape.
Åkerudden is located in Tenhola, on the shore of Lake Bonäsbåset. The plot is an old field carved out from an estate that has been owned by the family for a number of generations. The building is a holiday home that was designed and constructed for year-round use. In the future the entirety will be rounded out by two outbuildings and a lakeside sauna.
The architecture of the house is based on the construction location’s characteristics and cultural context. The goals were authenticity, simplicity, locality and beautiful handiwork. The building’s idiom is simple and oblong and it settles naturally into the open field landscape. The building’s simplicity and apparent modesty approach traditional construction without mimicking it.
The building’s load-bearing, solid wood beam structure was left visible in the interior spaces and gives the spaces a natural rhythm. The spaces are roughly separated into private and public areas. The entrance acts as an axle between these spaces. The living room and kitchen take up nearly one half of the building’s floor space. Together with one loft they form an open, flowing space. More private spaces are located in an area shielded from sight from the entryway, opening out into the morning sun. All living areas have lake views. The stairs leading to the loft are located in a narrow space with OSB-board cladding that is painted black. Sliding doors, harmonious surfaces and large windows create the illusion of a much larger house. Nature and variations in light are intensely present in the building. The explosive verdancy of spring, romantic glow of summer fields, earthy colours of autumn and dazzlingly clean light reflected off winter snow create their own atmospheres in interior spaces.
Structurally the house is airy and constructed entirely of wood. The 10-inch wood beam structure is made of local spruce. Unimpregnated 32×150 mm aspen boards were used for the facade. Interior walls and ceilings have black alder panel cladding. The panelling was used in three different widths. The floors and terraces are Douglas fir felled by the storm on Boxing Day in 2011, which came from the local Solböl property owned by Metla, part of the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The wood products were locally processed. Surfaces are oiled, white-oiled or left unfinished. Fixed furnishing are made of oak, oak veneer and larch. Pine was used for windows, doors and hidden frame structures. The building was insulated with linen insulation and Ekovilla. Rain gutters were integrated with the eave structure behind the façade cladding.