House M-M

M-M house is located by a busy road in the Oulunkylä district of Helsinki. One of the early twentieth-century villas in the area lays on the adjacent small hill on the same plot. The wooden house on the opposite side of the road was originally built as a casino.

The new house on the shady northern slope complements the line of buildings by the hill. The living space in the new house is located on the second floor for daylight and the view.

The spacious terrace opens onto the lush garden, which is shared by the residents of the new house and the older building on the same plot. The shape of the roof of the new house allows for a view of the casino from the terrace of the older building.

The living space of the new house opens onto the terrace. The living space has a sleeping loft. The master bedroom and the parents’ home office are located in the highest corner of the house. The children’s rooms are located under them. A separate studio apartment and the sauna and housekeeping facilities are located at the yard level.

The residents wanted the designers to create interesting and distinctive interiors and make use of the opportunities offered by the plot. They wanted privacy, but also an opportunity to spend time with the relatives next door. Four generations are living on the same plot: a couple in their forties with their children in the new house, the great-grandmother in the separate apartment and the grandparents in the old building.

The basement walls are built of concrete blocks, and the intermediate floor is made of hollowcore slabs. The wooden frame for the two floor and the terrace was built on the basement. The facade is made of untreated Siberian larch, which will be allowed to turn grey over the years.