One of Studio Puisto’s designs stands in a coniferous forest in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. Emma Johansson and co-designers got the assignment to design the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in August 2015. The next year in November, the unique luxury hotel with treetop views opened on the Arctic Circle. The inspiration for the accommodation concept – set on a steep natural slope – came from Nordic nature and culture as well as the magical world of SantaPark. A vision started to form: small individual accommodation buildings set in nature, their spirit highlighting characteristics of the area and creating an optimal setting for experiencing both nature and arctic mysticism.
The suites that stand on stilts draw inspiration from a classic Finnish toy, “käpylehmä,” meaning pine cone cow. All suites have window walls facing north for viewing the Northern Lights and the surrounding forest in comfort. The wooden hotel won the first prize in the Worldwide Hospitality Awards in Paris in November 2017.
Photography : Riikka Kantinkoski
