Electric car company Polestar has overseen the construction of KOJA, a treehouse designed by Finnish designer Kristian Talvitie which they say balances architectural beauty with a commentary on the climate emergency.

Originally awarded an honorable mention at the 2021 Polestar Design Contest, the scheme has now been constructed in Fiskars, an artistic town in the Southwest of Finland. The scheme’s realization, a first for any Polestar winner, coincides with the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, a “topical, egalitarian platform for encounters between makers and enthusiasts.”

KOJA derives its name from the Swedish word for “hut” or “den,” and manifests as a minimalistic treehouse, constructed from sustainable materials that seek to provide an immersive natural experience. The scheme balances this memorable natural experience with a prompt for visitors to help combat climate change and preserve the natural world.

“Most designers look at the design from a user perspective,” designer Talvitie said. “I also look at things from the environment’s perspective.”

The treehouse is constructed from locally-sourced timber and wool, with a dominant panoramic glazed façade creating a naturally-lit, scenic interior. The scheme is also attached to its supporting tree trunk without harming the tree itself. “It's beautiful in its simplicity, and the fact that it's made from locally-sourced spruce really emphasizes our focus on sustainability,” commented Polestar Head of Marketing Martin Österberg.

The scheme is one of several treetop projects to garner media attention lately. In April, a team of students and faculty at Virginia Tech completed a world-first observation tower using an innovative low-carbon timber, while our editorial has also seen architectural treehouses built by Snøhetta and Microsoft.

Architectural treehouse lovers should keep a close eye on Archinect Jobs, which, back in April, featured an open opportunity to become a treehouse designer at Colorado-based Treecraft Design-Build.