Sauna in Tenala

architecture studio kimmo friman

Architect Kimmo Friman
Location Raasepori
Gross Area 30 m2
Completion 2025

Architect Kimmo Friman: The sauna is located near the shoreline, with the rural cultural coastal landscape rising in the background to the north. If one approaches the site from the sea when the trees are leafless, one sees a small black building set back behind pillars, rising from a greying terrace that merges organically with the coastal rocky terrain. In the summer, the building is hardly visible due to the existing trees left in the foreground, which, together with the long eaves roof, also block the disturbing rays of the sun.

On the upper slope of the plot stands an old storehouse and a holiday home built in the 1950s. The new sauna building was built on the coastal seafront, on the site of the old sauna. 

The original design envisioned a traditional log-built sauna with a loft above and a front lounge clad in vertical board and batten cladding. Although the log structure was ultimately omitted due to technical difficulties, the vertical cladding of the sauna remains as a reference to the original concept. 

A key feature is the sea view framed by the black frames and the tree canopy. The view can be enjoyed from the front terrace in warm weather.

Photos Rauno Träskelin

The small sauna cabin consists of a sauna, small living space and a loft. Plans: Kimmo Friman
 The vertical cladding of the sauna part remains as a reference to the original concept of building the sauna with log structure
The maple and rowan trees and the long eaves roof block the disturbing rays of the sun.
In the summer, the building is hardly visible due to the existing trees left in the foreground.
The facade is of stained cladding. The untreated terrace will naturally turn gray over time.
It was important to both the architect and the builders that all the window frames are black, so that they disappear and open up the landscape instead of limiting it.
Vertical battens are repeated in the structures bordering both the terrace and the loft.
Section and facade: Kimmo Friman

Published in 3 – 2026 - Small Interventions

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