Advert

Villa Margo

Talli Architects, Mer Architects

Architects Jenni Hölttä, Julia Hertell
Typology detached house
Location Helsinki
Gross Area 210+45 m2
Completion 2025

Architect Jenni Hölttä: The detached house for a family of four is located in a dense residential area in Helsinki. The starting point for the design of the dark green house, was the charming and slightly bohemian spirit typical of the neighbourhood. The main building, with its hipped roof, sits on a small verdant hillock in the same spot where an old, dilapidated building once stood. In its nooks and recesses there are sheltered terraces of a varying character that open in different directions. A yard building, which serves as a music studio, borders the courtyard and provides it privacy. Its green roof is part of the lush landscape that opens up from the main building.

The house’s ground floor comprises a hallway, utility room, technical spaces, bathroom and sauna, as well as a small guest room. The ground floor is characterized by windows offering views of the smooth-cut rock surface that had already been excavated from under the demolished building. The first floor comprises the living room, kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom. The origami-like geometry of the roof conjures the feeling of living in a treehouse. The windows offer long, bright views through the treetops and over the roofs of the neighbouring buildings.

The buildings are made of solid cross-laminated timber structures and use fan-assisted natural ventilation. The main building has a ventilated crawl space. The vertical boarding of the facades is finished with a dark green linseed oil paint. The roof is zinc sheet metal, which will be painted dark grey in a few years. The natural material palette continues in the interior, where light-coloured spruce surfaces and dark red terracotta tiles create a cozy, earthy atmosphere. Geothermal wells were drilled on the plot, and solar panels will be installed on the roof of the main building in the future.

Photos Kalle Kouhia
Drawings Talli Architects, Mer Architects

The detached house for a family of four is located in a dense residential area in Helsinki. yard building, which serves as a music studio, borders the courtyard and provides it privacy.
The vertical boarding of the facades is finished with a dark green linseed oil paint. The roof is zinc sheet metal, which will be painted dark grey in a few years.
The smooth-cut rock surfaces are remnants of a building that previously stood on the site.

The ground floor comprises a hall-way, utility room, technical spaces, bathroom, sauna, and a small guest room. The first floor comprises the living room, kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom. 
The house is built of solid cross-laminated timber.
The origami-like geometry of the roof conjures the feeling of living in a treehouse.

The interior is characterised by light spruce surfaces.
The bathroom has dark red terracotta tiles.

Published in 1 – 2026 - Housing Variations

Also these might interest you