Apelle: A house in Karjaa, Finland by C-LAB.

Apelle is a wooden family house that nestles in a pocket, gouged from the rocks by the forces of nature, a harbour in the forest. It is surrounded by trees which, in certain conditions form an extension of the interiors. But the house itself is an articulation of the forest, and cannot be regarded as separate or altogether distinct from it. The interior is conceived as a spatial continuum that extends through the house into the forest. This spine is configured and reconfigured according to daily, and seasonal functions and needs. The same enclosed space serves for everything from socializing to eating to exercising and working. This is a tradition of vernacular Finnish housing. The mataphor of the harbour within the forest is expanded upon. One elevation of the house has a series of circular windows, and with its ship-lap cladding and strip timber floors, might be regarded as the hull of a ship, with a chimney of dark brick - a clumsy smoke stack. Gratitude to e-architect.