The abstract, geometric shapes of Chappe - part black box, part shiny periscope peeking above the building's roofline - sit seemingly in contrast to its picturesque setting within the well preserved historic village of Tammisaari in southern Finland. Yet the structure, the work of architecture studio JKMM, feels entirely at home in this idyllic corner of the Finnish countryside, its volumes strangely in sync with the surrounding 18th century timber architecture in this popular tourist destination. This balance and dialogue between the contemporary, minimalist architecture of this new art house, and its natural context and historic built environment continues inside and becomes a key theme in the making of what is set to become one of the country's key new cultural destinations.
