WISA, Wooden Design Hotel by Pieta-Linda Auttila, Helsinki

Pieta-Linda Auttila designed the WISA Wooden Design Hotel, an architectural gem of wood situated in the maritime heart of Helsinki. Around the construction, lies the city and the 200 years of architrectural history.

The WISA Wooden Design Hotel is an outstanding example of wood’s versatility. Here, wood works both as a load-bearing structure and decor in walls, ceilings and floors. The building is a composition of Finnish pine, spruce and birch, and a testimonial to their special characteristics. With the design of this hotel, she hope to spark interest in wood and highlight its role in building and interior design!

The first that catches the eye is the atrium courtyard in the center with its long curved pine boards half-covering the patio forming a trellis that titillates the imagination. The wood makes its way to the living quarters located at both ends, where pine floor are complemented with beautiful paneled birch plywood on the walls and ceiling. The atrium’s shape flatters the liveliness of wood which istechnically, the most challenging part of the design.

The WISA Wooden Design Hotel is a temporary building and will remain in place until the end of September 2009, so be fast!

“By bending the block I forced the slats into a new form that contrasts with the original arrangement. That which is solid turns partly transparent, that which is strictly geometrical, organic,” – Pieta-Linda Auttila, architect