In the 2021 Polestar Design Contest, Finnish designer Kristian Talvitie’s micro space tree house received an honorable mention. A year on, to mark the launch of this year’s edition contest, Polestar decided to make it real. You heard that right. Polestar built a house.
The KOJA Micro Space Tree House, as it is called, is part of the ‘House by an Architect’ exhibition built in the village of Fiskars, an art and design hub in southwestern Finland, during the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale which runs from May 22nd to September 4th, 2022.
The aim of KOJA is to reduce the travel required to connect with nature. Here’s how:
“A response to the 2021 Polestar Design Contest theme of “progress”, KOJA redefines sustainable travel by reducing the need for travel in the first place, yet still brings people closer to nature. Attached to a tree trunk just below the canopy, the design maximises the treetop view with a panoramic glazed façade. A rich, immersive experience in a natural environment. KOJA connects to the growing micro space trend and this tree house is accessible for people who would otherwise take a much longer trip to experience the wilderness.”
The architecture has both Polestart’s design language and sustainability values. It is built from sustainable and durable materials, including locally sourced wood and wool. The generous use of transparent elements not only invites natural light into the living space but it makes the structure “invisible”, blending with the nature where it stood.
Unfortunately, a visit to the Polestar KOJA is by invitation only.
Fun fact: Koja [kåj`a], noun. A Swedish word for “cabin”, “hut” or “den”. It shares the same definition across multiple languages, from the German “Koje” to the Japanese “こや” (same pronunciation).
Images: Polestar [UK].
