Glass Resort

A winter holiday resort made of contemporary and distinctive wooden houses. Large glazed surfaces and spacious interiors are designed to let guests experience comfort and amazement.

The aspiration to create a group of buildings that could re-imagine holiday accommodation in Lapland guided this project from the beginning. The starting point was to conceive apartments where comfort, generosity of space, and compelling views towards the surrounding forest and sky would be central themes of the design.

A solution was found in a contemporary design inspired by a traditional local theme. The resort consists of accommodation units on two levels. The design stresses the importance of the connection to the surrounding landscape with large glazed surfaces and, most strikingly, opens to the opportunity of spotting starry skies and northern lights from a comfortable and warm setting. The resort represents an evolution of the igloo-style winter holiday accommodation type.

The space of the apartments develops vertically along a fully glazed facade and towards the roof, made entirely of glass. The effect creates a fully immersive atmosphere, stretching out the double height interior space towards the landscape and the sky above. The warmth of the wood construction and finishes is intended to contribute towards the creation of an enjoyable space.

Each building, immediately recognizable for the clean lines of its volumes, is designed with a bold character and built with a timber frame structure. Overall, the combination of engineered laminated wood and triple glazing constitutes the fabric of the buildings.

The main building of the resort develops this formal theme further, with the combination of two simple interlocking volumes lying on each other. The main block hosts a full height restaurant lounge with a fully glazed facade and panoramic balcony. The second block, characterized by a long and slanted front elevation, includes reception, offices and further technical facilities.

Each house contains two accommodation units of 40 sqm. Facilities include double height living area, balcony floor with glass roof, kitchen, own sauna and outdoor hot tub terrace.
Glass surfaces are heated to allow views even in snowy conditions.
The project was developed by Finnish-Italian architecture office VOID Architecture and Finnish timber house manufacturer Honkatalot/PolarlifeHaus.

Architecture: VOID Architecture
Engineering and delivery: Honkatalot / Polar Life Haus
Construction: LogPro
Interior design: Minna Pennanen