Jávri Lodge is a boutique hotel in Saariselkä, Finland. The building was once used as a ski lodge by former President Urho Kekkonens – and he also welcomed state visitors here. In 2017, the building was extended to include a new main entrance, a dining room and four new hotel rooms – in three additional copper-clad volumes with their very own architecture. The copper material is also used on the premises and in various places throughout the building – for example, new arrivals approach the reception area via a winding path lit by copper lanterns.
Fotos: © Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres
The architecture: surprising
From the entrance, visitors pass through a low, dark corridor. This opens up into the dining room with its black slatted roof. The sculptural black steel staircase leading to the hotel rooms above forms a modern contrast to the grey patina walls in the dining room. From the long table, you can see what is being cooked in the show kitchen. Most guests at Jávri Lodge spend their days doing various outdoor activities, which is what a holiday in Finland is all about. The hotel has therefore been designed as a warm, cosy refuge, where guests can relax after the day’s activities and enjoy culinary experiences.
Northern Lights: impressive
The steps in the dining room lead to a mezzanine with a view over the dining room and through a tunnel-like corridor to the hotel bedrooms. This is the surprising part: behind the streamlined entrance, the black louvred ceilings in the sky suites rise dramatically up ending in a 3.5 metre high curtain wall, behind which a magnificent view of the surrounding wild landscape and the Northern Lights opens up.
Experiencing the Northern Lights is one of the highlights of this part of Finland and so the sky suites were designed especially to allow guests to enjoy this experience to the full. The interior surfaces of these hotel rooms have been given a neutral colour scheme and look, so that the natural splendour of the sky can be appreciated. The room opens up towards the sky and the landscape. The windowsill has been designed as an integrated day bed, from which guests can observe the sky, which therefore becomes part of the sky suite.
Construction materials: expressive
Clever architecture: a wooden structure and ecological insulating material ensure good interior ventilation and pleasant acoustics. The exterior is clad with untreated copper, which over time will discolour from reddish gold to black. The surface materials inside the corridor are functional and durable and the most eye-catching element in the dining room is the black, curved slatted ceiling. Recurring copper details give the interior a touch of luxury. Slate floors in the dining room and corridor create a link between the inside and outside. The corridor and sky suites share the same black slatted ceiling as the dining room. The walls in the suites are in neutral grey stucco – true to the centuries-old Finnish tradition of using stucco to clad inside walls in wooden houses.
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