Finnish designers Aleksi Hautamäki and Milla Selkimaki have recently completed the first stage of their two stage island project. Dubbed Project Ö, the duo have successfully built two off-grid cabins on their very own private island. They spent five years searching for the ideal island, and when the opportunity arose to purchase the 200 m by 100 m (656 ft by 328 ft) triangular island, located at the edge of the Archipelago National Park in Southwest Finland, they jumped at the chance.
“After 5 years of intensive searching, a perfect little island is found,” says Hautamäki and Selkimaki. “The island itself is completely untouched and intact, there has never been any habitation. It's allowed to build 400 sq m [4,305 sq ft] on the island with strict rules on the dimensions from the shoreline and between the buildings.”
In order to work with the rocky conditions of the landscape and the strict building rules, the couple came up with an initial design for two self-sustaining timber dwellings that incorporate comfortable interior and outdoor living zones, a sauna and a workshop.
The design features a 45-sq m (484-sq ft) guest house, complete with living area, kitchen, master bedroom, traditional Finnish sauna, wash room and an additional exterior living space equipped with outdoor kitchen and dining. The adjacent building features a 25-sq m (269-sq ft) workshop, boasting a compact technical shed at one end and an impressive workshop with ample storage at the other. The structure also incorporates an outdoor space, which can be used to extend the work zone or provide access for larger machinery if needed.
Both structures are built with a hidden timber frame and are clad with vertical timber panels. Wooden decking allows the buildings to sit amid the rocky landscape and access to the dwellings is via a series of wooden steps and walkways. The hidden timber frame allowed for more flexibility with the interior walling and overall interior design.
“Timber frame is hidden and will always be clad over with another material, which means it gives countless options on how to cover the walls,” says Hautamäki and Selkimaki.
Due to the remote location, the cabins needed to be 100 percent self-sufficient, therefore roof-top solar panels were included to power the homes. Six 260-watt solar panels, coupled with eight 605 Ah (6 V) batteries, allows a constant supply to the homes. As a backup, a combustion engine generator was installed, which is programmed to start whenever the battery level drops below a certain level.
The homes include a SolaRO MIni 150 water filtration system, which allows 100 liters (26.4 gal) of water per hour to be purified from the Baltic sea. The filtered water is used for all water needs on the island. Hot running water is produced by the sauna's stove, which also provides heating to the floors throughout the two cabins.
Currently the Project Ö cabins can accommodate up to 10 people and boast simple interiors that have been kept minimal and functional, with the main living zone designed around a large black wood-burning stove. Large floor-to-ceiling glass windows throughout both cabins provide endless views of the untouched surrounding landscape and sea.
The next stage of Project Ö is planned for the coming years, and will see the completion of the main house, which will be built on the middle claw of the island. The video below has more.
Source: Project Ö via Designboom
