Piil
Retreat — elevated
Piil ® is a thoughtfully crafted retreat that takes nature getaways to new heights, quite literally! Shortened from the Estonian word ‘piiluma’ for ‘peeking/looking’, Piil is designed to be compact in plan so it can nestle between trees while offering a generous view out.
For those who are not fluent in Estonian, Piil sounds like the English word ‘peel’ — which is by no means an accident, since the project aims to peel away the mundane, the stress of everyday — replacing it with a sense of calm & wonder that can be found amidst the treetops.
Video / photos © by Yifan Liu.
Open-air ‘living room’ terrace.
The pre-fabricated retreat is elevated to minimise its ground-level presence, with the space underneath becoming an open-air ‘living room’ sheltered from rain and snow. Here, one can spend the day with nature — sunbathing or listening to the sound of rain, enjoying a picnic with loved ones or reading a book in quiet solitude, all in the comfort of a private terrace.
The raised accommodation unit provides greater seclusion, a unique vantage point, and an opportunity to rest among tree branches. Right outside the bedroom door, the stair landing doubles up as a balcony — where a bench for two and an integrated coffee table can be enjoyed in private, high up among the trees.
Pine forest = pine cladding.
Piil is finished in untreated, thermally modified pine by Thermory — a material that requires little maintenance and will weather gracefully to a silver-grey, helping the building blend in with the pine tree forest.
Piil is clad in hit-and-miss cladding, which consists of alternating strips of wood with gaps between them. The use of this rain-screen cladding with a square cross-section adds visual depth; conceals ground-levels doors; filters light and air into the building while giving it a monolithic appearance; provides shade to the openable window; encloses a ground-level storage space; screens services and MVHR grilles. Plus, the directionality of the timber cladding accentuates Piil's unique form!
Pre-fabricated modules = quick assembly in remote locations.
Piil stands on one ‘leg’ — which contains a staircase, services, and a sports equipment store — all wrapped in the hit-and-miss pine cladding. To minimise ground-level presence, the ‘leg’ is the only element that is connected to the foundation.
To achieve the impressive cantilever, the ‘leg’ and the accommodation unit modules act as large steel trusses — pre-fabricated & finished in a factory off-site. The size of the modules allows a truck to take them to remote & scenic locations, where they are craned up & bolted together into a whole.
The external balcony module, glazing and terrace are added last.
Compact size, big impact.
Despite its striking exterior, Piil has been designed from inside out — packing a lot into a compact volume. Inside, Piil features a king-size bed, two working tables, a kitchenette, lots of concealed storage, and a generous bathroom — all the facilities for remote work and comfortable rest.
Off-site manufacture means a higher level of workmanship, resulting in a well-insulated accommodation unit with triple-glazed low-E windows & skylights. An efficient air source heat pump with MVHR provides ventilation, heating, cooling and hot water throughout most of the year. On particularly cold or hot days, the integrated radiator or external condenser support the heat pump — for year-round comfort.
Photos © by Yifan Liu.
Large piece of joinery.
The interior of the space is conceived as a large piece of joinery, all in white-washed oak. The interplay of levels allows horizontal surfaces to be used informally as tables, seats or display spaces, while the vertical timber panelling adds a tree-house-like quality.
Within such a small space, every centimetre has to work extra hard, so details have been carefully considered: the central desk becomes a headboard; the shelving doubles up as a stair; the clothing cupboard is ventilated to help keep clothes fresh; the raised space by the bed acts as under-floor bag storage; charging spaces are plentiful (there’s never enough!); discreet air intake & supply slots are paired up with strategically placed & fully dimmable LED lighting.
Photos © by Yifan Liu.
Suspended mid-forest.
The main highlight internally is the huge window / skylight paired with the generous hammock mezzanine — a place to feel suspended mid-forest, with nothing but the panoramic view ahead and the gentle sway of treetops above. It’s a spot created for dreaming. Embracing the inner child. Bird-spotting. Building a pillow fort. Star-gazing.
Shower with the trees.
In the bathroom, a skylight placed above the shower transforms the simple act of washing into a magical experience as the dappled morning sunlight filtered by the treetops fills the space.
The shower floor and adjacent bench are finished in Accoya pine, adding tactility and warmth without sacrificing the longevity of the natural material.
Other practical luxuries include underfloor heating, the mirror demister, the generous vanity shelf above the sink — small details that elevate the everyday.
Piil can be a…
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Summer House
A place to enjoy on weekends, holidays and any time you feel like escaping into nature. Not just in summer — Piil has been equipped for comfortable year-round use. Experience the magic of each season — from a whole new perspective.
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Creative Sanctuary
A distraction-free, light-filled & airy studio with two full-sized desks — and a big bed for those all-important power naps. If you hit a creative block, lie back on the hammock — let your imagination fly as you float and watch the clouds drift by.
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Hotel Accommodation
With its distinctive design and unusual features, staying in Piil is an experience in itself. Add a beautiful natural location and all the eco-tourists will find it hard to resist. If your guests are into social media, content featuring #Piil will do the selling for you!
Nestled between trees.
The first Piil prototype has been built on a site near Jägala Juga — Estonia’s largest waterfall.
To protect the naturally beautiful setting, the site has been 3D-scanned by Hades Geodeesia. The resulting point cloud model of the forest was then used to test the position of each Piil — making sure that every tree branch could be accounted for prior to construction.
The first unit, completed as a prototype in 2023, is meant to be eventually joined by three more, to create a whole family of Piils peeking out from the forest to enjoy the sunset views of Jägala river.
Piiiil, Piiil, Piil.
In the first, prototype version of Piil, a single-level ‘leg’ elevates the living unit 4.25m above ground — in future iterations, taller ‘legs’ could raise the accommodation units further into, or even above the tree branches.
The two-storey Piil would then become a three-storey Piiil, four-storey Piiiil, and so on — until you’re above the treetops, or it’s too much of a leg workout!
Tree in image is for scale. Taller units subject to planning / fire / engineering development.
Awards
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Finalist
One of three finalists within the Entrepreneurs & Small Companies category, chosen from 800 entries.
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Winner
Winner of Thermory Design Award 2023 within the Tiny / Private House category
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Nominee
Nominated by ArchDaily to participate in the Building of the Year 2024 public vote within the Best Applied Products & Small Scale categories
Legal
Piil is a Registered Trademark and a Registered Community Design, nr 015041799-0001 & 015041799-0002 — copyright belongs to Arsenit.
Photos and videos © by Yifan Liu.
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