'maidla nature villa' introduces a micro-hotel room to forested estonia

mari hunt of architecture office b210 realizes the ‘maidla nature villa,’ a nutshell-sized micro-hotel on the edge of a swamp in estonia. elevated atop seven-meter pillars, the compact timber hotel covers an area of only 28 square meters, or nearly 300 square feet. developed by the owners of the maidla nature resort, the project seeks to introduce a space that would immerse visitors in the untouched nature of estonia and exhibit the great contemporary architecture and design that can be achieved on a minuscule scale.

image by feeliks volož | @theonlyfelka

with the maidla nature villa, architect mari hunt of studio b210 introduces a micro-hotel space enclosed by a tiny new topography of stepping terraces. the work has recently been nominated for the european union prize for contemporary architecture — mies van der rohe award. the designer comments: ‘large-scale public buildings are usually nominated for the award, to represent the public and well-known face of european architecture. I believe we were chosen because when creating the maidla hotel we managed to capture something that’s of critical importance in today’s europe — we tried to create a space that would remind people of their connection to nature, the fragility and value of this link that is already disappearing in many places.’

image by feeliks volož

completed in august 2020, the mari hunt-designed maidla nature villa offers a single room. the micro-hotel occupies a completely secluded site, introducing visitors to the untouched nature of the estonian bog landscape — where they may likely encounter roaming wildlife — demonstrating how great architecture can bring out the best in a location. the villa is elevated atop pillars that were driven into the swamp soil to make the structure stable on an otherwise unusable ground. the hotel’s lowest terrace and floor are one meter above the ground to allow seasonal high waters to rise without flooding the building. the large windows of the tiny hotel’s only room open to a bog-scape rich in plants, birds and animals. untouched nature is becoming more and more of a luxury in a world where 75% of people already live in cities — making an experience of solitude in nature something to treasure.

image by feeliks volož