Energy-Efficient House in Helsinki

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Dreaming of a cozy home for a big family, Finnish actress Vilma Melasniemi and actor Juho Milonoff appealed to the architects of the Bureau Tuomas Siitonen. The house perfectly fits in the neighborhood and came to love of all its inhabitants.

Energy-Efficient House in Helsinki by Bureau Tuomas Siitonen

House of Finnish actress Vilma Melasniemi and actor Juho Milonoff in Helsinki

The new house was built next to a centuries-old house of Vilma’s parents in Helsinki, surrounded by apple trees and lilac in the center of the site. There was found a suitable place for the new construction on a steep slope on the north side.

Functionally, the house is divided into two parts: on the ground floor there is a studio apartment for 91-year-old grandmother of Vilma, sauna and living room. Upstairs there is a loft for owners and their children, which in addition to the bedrooms includes a large living room and a terrace, where the family gathers in summer.

Large windows bring in a lot of greenery, creating a feeling that the owners live in a tree house. This feeling is enhanced in the attic space, overlooking the treetops.

One of the key design moments was a sustainability of the building. So the majority of structures and cladding are made of wood. And a large portion of the roof on the south side in the future allows efficient use of solar energy.

Facing does not need any maintenance. The house is transformed into a kind of fireplace on the site, warming up in the sun. The residents of the house go to work and to the city by train. They believe that it is a sustainable solution. One good house is enough, according to Vilma Melasniemi.