Teemu Hirvilammi's House H, a timber gem in Kivistönmäki

This new built house, designed by Finnish architect Teemu Hirvilammi, sits on a narrow wedge-shaped block in Kivistönmäki, a residential quarter 350km north of Helsinki

(Image credit: Jussi Tiainen)

By Daven Wu

last updated 30 September 2022

in Features

When architects talk about their projects, the conversation invariably turns to the challenges of the brief and how these were resolved. For Teemu Hirvilammi, building his own house was fraught with unrealistic goals. ‘You want to try new techniques, use less space and build on a lower budget,’ says the Finnish architect. ‘It’s only when you change the goal to simply one of building a good house, and nothing more, that the puzzle is solved.’

Hirvilammi’s family home sits on a narrow wedge-shaped block in Kivistönmäki, a residential quarter about 350km north of Helsinki. You get the sense that the choice of location was a practical one – his children’s school is nearby, as are the grandparents and the railway station.

But with views of the forest, it’s also quietly bucolic, which explains the decision to flip the layout of the house. The bedrooms and the utility room are located on the ground floor, while, on the first floor, the living room, which opens to a balcony – enclosed by vertical timber screens that provide a passive sun-block – commands a soothingly calm view of greenery.

It’s no surprise that Hirvilammi describes the house as minimalist and vernacular. The flow of space is austere, helped, no doubt, by the dominance of untreated spruce for the interiors which catches the light streaming in from the large windows, and spruce, painted black, for the exterior. The cabinetry is all bespoke, while the furniture – mostly by Aalto and Nikari Oy – has been in the family for years.

A smaller single-storey building takes up the adjoining side of the triangular plot. This houses a work-room, guest room and a wood-heated sauna (this is Finland after all).

To say House H is simple is to miss the point. The design belongs very much to the locus, and there is a pleasing empathetic scale to the space. As Hirvilammi, who also runs a small studio in China, points out, ‘It’s very difficult to say what my architectural style is. My inspiration comes from the fact that I’m culturally aware and humanistic.’

The project, which was designed as the architect&rsquo;s own family home, also includes a smaller single-storey building — The project, which was designed as the architect’s own family home, also includes a smaller single-storey building that houses a work-room, guest room and sauna

Set on an awkward triangular site, the main structure is long and narrow, made out of wood and spanning two levels

The top floor features the main, open-plan living area, which opens to a balcony

The cabinetry is all bespoke, while the furniture &ndash; mostly by Aalto and Nikari Oy — The cabinetry is all bespoke, while the furniture – mostly by Aalto and Nikari Oy – has been in the family for years

The bedrooms and the utility room are located on the ground floor

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hirvilammi Architects website

Photography: Jussi Tiainen

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.