Summerhouse V / Playa Architects

Architects: Playa Architects
Area: 71 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Tuomas Uusheimo
Lead Architects: Tuukka Vuori, Ulla Kuitunen
Region: Lake Suontee, Etelä-Savo
Country: Finland

The Summerhouse, designed by Playa Architects in Hirvensalmi, Finland, improves lakeside living with a modernized retreat on Lake Suontee. Built-in 2021, this 71 m² summerhouse serves as a replacement for a small fishing cabin from the 1960s. The new structure, located at the island’s flattest, most scenic point, offers panoramic views of the lake and evening sun while ensuring protection from strong winds with its long eaves and covered outdoor spaces. A 200 mm thick non-insulated CLT frame simplifies transport and assembly. Its spruce frame and interior claddings provide a rustic, natural look, enhanced by CNC machining for elegant detailing. The building includes a spacious kitchen and living room under a visible saddle roof, creating a seamless blend of nature and architecture.

The Summerhouse stands on the small rocky island of Lake Suontee in southern Finland, where it replaces an existing 1960s fishing cabin. A sauna from the 1980s remains on the site. The design by Playa Architects positions the new summerhouse in the middle of the island on the flattest, most scenic spot, offering long views across the lake.

The structure’s saddle roof, with its long eaves, provides shelter for the building envelope, while covered outdoor spaces shield from strong winds and frame lake views. The main interior space, a kitchen and living room, is characterized by the visible saddle roof and expansive lake views.

A non-insulated 200 mm thick CLT frame allows for easy transport and assembly. CNC machining of the CLT frame ensures simple yet elegant detailing. The floor and roof feature wood fiber insulation, constructed using LVL and glulam beams. Spruce is used throughout the frame and for most of the untreated interior claddings.