Only 10 kilometres from the sea, the Finnish capital of Helsinki is surrounded on three sides by water and a veritable mosaic of 330 islands.

On an expanse of rocks located between a forest and the water’s edge, Finnish architect Pekka Littow recently built a small off-grid cabin – the first of five, part of the Majamaja project.

Each cabin is made from modular prefabricated kits built of native Finnish spruce and birch plywood, and will soon be available for overnight stays and short-term rentals.

With large windows and decks overlooking the archipelago, the cabins include solar panels on the roof for electricity. And, of course, there will be a sauna.

‘The purpose of the Majamaja project is to show how small-scale architecture, combined with green technology, can compensate for big volumes and centralised on-grid systems.’