Koli Hotel

Contextual continuity

The nature reserve of Koli has been attractive to visitors over a hundred years and Koli National Park is one of the best-known nature destinations in Eastern Finland. The unique nature of Koli inspired artists, architects, painters, and composers in the late 19th and early 20th century. Artists such as Jean Sibelius, Juhani Aho and Eero Järnefelt celebrated the unique environment in their works. The Koli hotel for Sokos echoes this unique character, its values, the Finnish heritage, soul and takes the proximity to nature as its inception. The hotel will be an all-year-round destination, offering a spectacular setting for experiencing nature in both the hotel’s indoor and outdoor environment.

The diverse elements of nature were key themes in art, architecture, and literature for the national romantic art movement. This tradition is continued in a contemporary interpretation, where nature is present in the hotel’s architecture. Like the predecessors, we have created a whole whose exterior architecture are mutually supportive, as if carved out from the same material – metaphorically, the aged materials of the site, the red wooden buildings, and the rough granite.

The hotel consists of a 4-storey building, situated as a compact volume on the site. The building is carefully adapted into the forest landscape in such a way that both the Kolintie and the and the neighboring buildings will be in balance. The building is integrated in the surrounding nature. The hotel architecture is related to the traditional architecture of the Koli village. The Falu red toned wooden architecture of the Koli is used in both the wooden facade- as well as the concrete podium. The hotel’s red-painted wooden facades create an approachable and warm appearance.
The lobby and dining area of the hotel serves as a “winter garden” and all year-round nature experience for travelers.