In early 1900s, the corporation Kajaanin Puutavara Osakeyhtiö acquired the island called Ärjänsaari, in Lake Oulujärvi. The sandy island provided raw material for the expanding factory’s brick production. Already in the 1920s, the naturally beautiful island was used as the company employees’ recreational area, and the company built the first holiday cottages there in 1937. More timber-frame cottages were built in the years to come, until 1952, by using the same drawings, 16 in total. Nine of them still exist today in 2022 and they are protected by law.

The Ärjäsaari cottages were designed by architect Eino Pitkänen. The small houses are a unique collection in the architect’s body of work. Each saddleback-roofed villa consists of one single room, including a kitchen, living area and sleeping area. The floor area of the cabins is merely 25 sq metres. The architect also designed the furniture to suit the space.

The cottages were designed for summer use only, on a sunny and dry site growing pine trees. The façades align with the coastline, facing south. Two glass doors on the main façade are protected by a lattice of horizontal laths. The same motif is repeated in the window shutters.

The unique villas by the open shores of Lake Oulujärvi create a Mediterranean atmosphere. During his architecture studies, Pitkänen made an excursion to the Mediterranean countries. Perhaps the architectural model and inspiration for the holiday cottages was planted in the architects mind there?

Teksti: Päivi Tervonen