Jussi Palva

One of the most traditional Finnish ways to spend the summer vacation is to shake off the dusts of the city and leave for one’s summer cottage for several weeks, enjoying the nature with family and friends. In today’s hectic working culture and increasing possibilities to travel abroad for vacation, spending several weeks in a cottage in a faraway location is not possible, nor functional for all of us.

Jussi Palva took a chance on Finns’ need for more flexible and accessible summer cottages, and designed a 21st century version of a cottage for his family. The idea was to build an urban getaway, within an easy bike ride away from the family’s home. In 2011 the project was featured in New York Times.

The cottage project reflects Palva’s ambition to develop urban planning through the eyes of an active citizen. He is interested in developing cities into more accessible leisure environments, providing open spaces for citizens to enjoy the urban environment without the obligation to consume money. Palva’s aim is to find new ways of improving cities as habitats by exploring intentionally or spontaneously formed urban oases.

Jussi Palva is a partner in and the co-founder of the Helsinki-based architectural studio Verstas architects (verstas meaning workshop in Finnish). The studio operates on the whole scope of architectural work from urban design to the finest detail, aiming to further develop the built environment.

www.verstasarkkitehdit.fi/info/