At Saari Residence in southwestern Finland, three former agricultural buildings are being transformed for Kone Foundation, an independent foundation supporting art, culture, and research.

The ongoing project forms part of the development of Saari Residence’s international residency programme. A stone barn already in use is being reworked, while a former grain dryer and machinery hall are being adapted to accommodate studios, workshops, and shared spaces.

Set within the rural context of Saari Manor, the project takes its point of departure in the existing buildings, their structures, and their material character. The relation to the surrounding landscape is a key parameter in the project, informing how the buildings are approached, connected, and brought into new use. Since their original construction, the buildings have been overlaid with generic layers of plasterboard, services, and technical fittings that partly obscure their underlying logic.

The transformation works through these later additions in order to recover a clearer relationship to the original structures while adapting the buildings to new programmes and patterns of use. The work is based on a limited number of interventions and a restrained use of simple, robust materials.

Alongside the building work, the project is developed in dialogue with local craftspeople and producers. This includes the ongoing development of board materials based on waste wood and lignin, linking the project to local production and material research.