Niliaitta prototype
The next phase of the Kivijärvi Resort project started with the more detailed design of a Niliaitta-type accommodation unit along with the construction of a prototype. Its namesake, niliaitta, refers to a traditional building type in Lapland, which is originally a permanent structure designed as a safe place to store food outdoors in habitats with bears and other wild animals. While Kivijärvi is not in Lapland, it is located in the Suomenselkä region of central Finland, an area that has historically had Sámi settlement. Similarly, the terrain of Suomenselkä is higher with an entirely different environment closer to the nature of more northern regions, giving the area the name “Lapland’s finger.” Therefore, it was natural to develop a modern application of a building typical to Lapland at Kivijärvi.