Strawberry place from Lohja

An entrepreneur couple who have toured the world have found the home of dreams in Lohja. The Pyörre House, which fulfils special wishes, will be completed at the Lohja Housing Fair in 2021.

Jukka Turunen and Timo Ranta, café entrepreneurs from Lohja, have toured the world and been inspired by South America, Australia and all over Europe. The idea of a round house was first uttered aloud at the Mikkeli Housing Fair in 2017.

"Then we wondered for the first time why the apartment building could not be round," says Jukka Turunen.

We first thought about the log-built round house, but we didn't get a response from the builders, so it stayed.  The idea of building a new home was still alive – although in a circle of friends, giving up the current home has caused wonderment. The atmospheric house has several delightful details.

"The fact is, however, that nothing new can be gained unless you can give up important things," Timo says.

Lohja Housing Fair

Jukka and Timo have been entrepreneurs at Cafe Lauri, whose customer Leena Lundell has been ceo of Aulis Lundell Oy in Lohja for years. Architect Matti Kuittinen is also one of the café's regulars. During a coffee, the housing fair in Lohja came up. Kuittinen thought that maybe Jukka and Timo should build the home of their dreams in the housing fair area.

"That's when we said non," remembers Timo.

However, the idea was left sprouting, and one of the plots in the area made the thoughts gallop.

"I rounded my word and asked Matti if he could draw us a house," Timo says.

Leena Lundell, then known as a steelwoman, also stepped in – she promised that Aulis Lundell Oy could implement the steel of the dream house for the couple. The issue was shaken in 2018, and the wheels to design a round home began to spin.

Socially in your own peace

In autumn 2020, everything is well under way. The round house becomes a nest-like home – in the middle of everything, but still in its own peace. The windows of the round house open mainly from the inside, and the glass terrace in the courtyard, for example, provides the residents with complete peace.

"At the same time, our dogs are allowed to go out and in according to their own desires," Timo says.

There is a lot of open space inside the round house instead of closed rooms.

"In our current home, we have an unused guest room where our guests never sleep," Jukka says. "They'd rather sleep in the living room on an air mattress."

A pioneer in circular economy

The Pyörre House is a forerunner of ecological solutions, and a huge amount of effort has been put into the small carbon footprint.

"It's quite an eco-deed that the house is made of recyclable steel forever," Timo says. "The frame of our home is made of four cleverly recycled car waste, and blowing wool, for example, is made of recycled glass."

Standing firmly on steel legs, the house is not only an aesthetic sight, but also an environmentally friendly act – the soil has not had to be destroyed. Environmentally friendly solutions, such as air water heat pumps and solar panels, have also been utilised in energy production.

"Our home is responsibly and traceably built, and there is as precise a label for it as there is for a packet of nice bread," jukka says.

With their new home, Jukka and Timo have become even more excited about the circular economy, and now the couple is already driving an all-electric car. The idea of the environment is also enhanced by an apple tree planted at the heart of the atrium in the middle of the house, which comes from the garden of Timo Krape from Lohja. The surrounding landscapes are also of great importance to the nature-loving residents of Pyörre – the terrace and living room overlook Lake Lohjanjärvi. The wave-damped façade of the Pyörre can withstand harsh climatic conditions. Contrast is created by the wood clad in the inner ring. A lot of attention has also been paid to other internal landscapes in the home. In the past, the interior of Jukka and Timo's home has been light-coloured, but that stage has now been seen. In the Pyörre, people dare to use stronger shades, and kitchen cabinets, for example, are night blue.

Accessibility and aesthetics

Jukka and Timo dare to think about their home in the long run; until the end of their own life cycle and beyond. When a house of steel comes to an end, its building material is available time and time again.

"This house is also our disposal site," says Jukka. "With our life cycle in mind, everything has been made accessible. Everything is in one level without ploughs and instead of swidy doors, the house has easy-to-use Liune sliding doors."

Art and aesthetics are important elements of life for Juka and Timo, and the sliding doors are equipped with stunning paintings by Johanna Oras also in the spa and sauna department, where the Onnenpolku work leads the bather to the atmosphere of the fairytale forest. Art has also taken over its own place in the kitchen, where space has been left in the place of the top cabinets for the captive work "The Last Supper." In addition, the entrance hall of the Pyörre has already been designated as a gallery, on the floor of which streams painted in gold will flow. The tiles on the floor will not be seen, but everything is seamless and clear micro cement that provides a non-cracked surface for painting.

"Art can be so much more than a traditional framed board on the wall," Jukka says.