Estonian Company Built a Unique Resort in Lapland with 80 Underground Houses
In Finnish Lapland, the Kaamos Lodge resort has been officially opened, representing one of the largest tourism investments in the region in recent years. The heart of the center consists of 80 modular houses made of monolithic concrete, produced in Estonia by the Harjumaa company Revonia.
The project, completed through the collaboration of Estonian manufacturing company Revonia and Finnish tourism company Explore the North, is significant both in its scale and architectural solution.
While Lapland tourism has traditionally relied on simple wooden houses, the development of Kaamos Lodge took a different approach – the entire accommodation complex is made of concrete modules and built underground.
The opening of the center marks the successful completion of one of the Baltic region's largest modular house export projects. All 80 concrete modules were produced in Estonia, transported fully finished to the site, and installed on location. Each house is 30 m² in size, weighs 40 tons, and is located under a soil layer up to one meter thick. The entire process from idea to engineering solution and installation took one and a half years. This solution was deliberately chosen with the region's unique characteristics in mind: since the center is located on a hillside, the houses are arranged in steps so that the grass roof of the front house becomes the ground surface for the rear one. This ensures that the buildings do not obstruct each other's view of the fell, while maintaining privacy.
For Revonia, this is not their first project with northern neighbors, but Kaamos Lodge marks an important milestone in confirming the company's credibility in the Finnish market. According to Revonia's CEO Rauno Oja, there is a clear shift in the mindset of resort owners – investments are being made with a longer-term perspective.
"We have previously built resorts in Finland and we see that Revonia has established a solid reputation there precisely because of premium quality and our unique concrete modular system. Developers are no longer just looking for a quick solution, but are thinking about legacy – how to create a family business that would last from generation to generation," Oja explained. "The concrete and earth-covered solution also gives the investor confidence that in 10 or 20 years, the resort will still look brand new in terms of construction and won't require major renovation."
Oja added that the choice of houses is also based on the changing expectations of Lapland visitors: "Today's traveler, who flies to Lapland from the other side of the world, is more conscious and demanding. The house where they stay is a major part of the travel experience and must be environmentally friendly. Our solution supports the growing sustainability trend while offering something completely different from a typical hotel room."
Investment in the future of tourism
According to Johan Väisänen, CEO of the project's client Explore the North and owner of Kaamos Lodge, building 80 houses was a major risk, but the positive feedback so far has confirmed the choice was right.
"We wanted to create something that would stand out from typical Lapland accommodation, be different and eye-catching, but at the same time be extremely practical. We chose the Revonia solution based in Estonia because we were looking for durability and low maintenance costs – for us it is important to focus on hosting guests, not constantly maintaining buildings," said Väisänen. "The center that opens today proves that a concrete house built underground is cozy, bright and luxurious. This is an investment that will withstand decades, which will be passed on to my grandchildren as well, and will accommodate and delight our globally visited customers. In addition, the underground houses give me peace of mind – I don't have to worry on a stormy night or during heavy snowfall that the houses could be damaged."
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE LINK: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kqhZ6EkXPEM7Lp_lL_nlF_tlq0jFR1I2?usp=drive_link
