When the pandemic forced Jukka Vidgrén, a film director from North Savo, and his wife to work remotely at the dining table of their summer cottage, designed by architect Teemu Pirinen, he started to think about a brand-new solution for work. As writing film scripts, watching films intensely and the planning and reflection involved in the work of a director require quite a bit of focus and a peaceful atmosphere, the Vidgréns decided to move to the building originally intended as their summer cottage and asked Pirinen to design a new, smaller building. The idea was to dedicate the building to peaceful working.

The landscape at Lake Porovesi is very beautiful. As a result, the new building was placed on the forest-covered slope so that its high main window and the adjacent entrance would display the lake. A duckboard-like structure serves as the passage to this temple dedicated to making films, and someone visiting the premises for the first time may not instantly spot the building.

The whole building is covered by tarred shingles. The indoor spaces are also covered with wood, oak that has been stained dark in places and left lighter in others. Careful and competent design and the work of skillful carpenters are visible everywhere: it feels pleasant to grab the smooth sides of the ladder leading to a mezzanine used for sleeping.

The aim has also been to recreate a basilica-like atmosphere in the indoor space: there is a high middle section crowned by a wooden arch and alcoves with a flat dropped ceiling resembling the transepts of a church. The director’s workplace and desk and fine sofa have been placed on the lower sides of the space, thus leaving the middle of the room free.