“Sauna is an essential place for cleansing and purifying our minds and bodies,” Paakkonen says. “In Finland, it’s not a luxury. It’s a part of everyday life.” No cellphones will be allowed in any of the three saunas, as it’s generally considered a quiet place where the Finns go to practice omissa oloissaan, or aloneness with one’s thoughts.

The original design for the Avanto Architects project — located in a formerly open stretch of land in Hernesaari, a small peninsula in Helsinki that is transitioning from an industrial to a residential area — was so ambitious, construction companies wouldn’t even provide a quote. “We loved it so much, we tripled the budget,” Paakkonen says, referring to Antero Vartia, his business partner and a member of Finnish Parliament. The duo also worked with Nextimber, a start-up technology that converts waste wood into wood panels, to make the building as environmentally friendly as possible. As a result, Loyly is the first project in Finland to earn certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.