Sustainable Tourism in the North · Niliaitta Accommodation Concept

Kivijärvi Resort is located in a unique region near Salamajärvi National Park in Central Finland, with rich natural biodiversity. The resort has a need for ecologically sensitive solutions to support nature tourists accustomed to high-quality accommodation. The concept of Niliaitta allows the rich nature to be kept untouched.

Cities and towns
National parks
UNESCO sites
UNESCO global geoparks
Main roads
Airports
Cruise ports
Case

Infrastructure
Grass
Trees / Forest
River / Ocean

Niliaitta architecture and landscape illustration.

How can nature-sensitivity and tourism with high demands meet?

Aspects such as the spirit of the place and the sensory experiences and silence of being in nature were all sources of inspiration that guided the design process of the Niliaitta concept. For the designers, it was imperative that the rich nature was kept as untouched as possible.

A traditional Sámi structure serving for a luxurious nature experience

The word niliaitta refers to a traditional building type in Lapland, 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 and the terrain of which resembles the more northern regions, giving the area the name “Lapland’s finger”. The overall structure of the accommodation unit is raised on a single pillar to maintain only minimal contact with the nature below, and after construction, the forest terrain below has been restored to its original appearance. Due to a wall-size window, the visual connection from the interior to the surrounding nature is left unobstructed. The materials of the Niliaitta prototype are all ecological: wood in all interior surfaces, eco-wool as insulation, and the avoidance of plastic in the structures.