Villa Valtanen is a Wilderness Hideaway in Finland Made from Local Materials

Located very close to the Arctic Circle in <a title="Villa Valtanen is a Wilderness Hideaway in Lapland Covered in Tar" href="http://inhabitat.com/big-architects-design-luxurious-ski-resort-you-can-ski-over/" target="_blank">Lapland</a>, Finland, design firm <a title="Villa Valtanen is a Wilderness Hideaway in Lapland Covered in Tar" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arkkitehtitoimisto-Louekari/401858706559387" target="_blank">Arkkitehtitoimisto Louekari</a> has designed and built a beautiful wilderness hideaway that in isolation on a forested hillside. The home, which consists of a living room with a sauna and a separate woodshed, is covered in tarred timber, reflecting the charred remains of old forest fires. Villa Valtanen was created from local materials, using local craftsmanship with a deep respect for the surrounding Nordic landscape.

A beautiful combination of ancient timber and modern architecture, Villa Valtanen consists of two shelters connected by a platform.

One shelter is an open living space and the other one it’s a place to relax and unwind Nordic style: a sauna.

Standing on stilts and overlooking beautiful forests, the house exhibits proudly a traditional old Finnish building system: dovetail joints.

To protect the outside wood from the elements and preserve it, the architects used a black tar made from pinewood and roots, which acts like a “raincoat”.

Everythin about this hideaway was made locally, except for the solar panels and composting toilet, which are ideal things to have in a remote location.

A 2012 winner of the respected wood prize ”A Log House of the Year” by Puuwoodholzbois, Villa Valtanen sets an example of sustainable forest architecture at its best.