The Mill: A Boater's Rest Stop by Rintala Eggertsson Architects

mill approach image

If you have ever taken a long canoe or kayak trip you will recognize this as a lovely idea- a beautiful, covered rest stop, perhaps with a little electricity to charge up the camera. And of course in Finland they take design seriously and have not forgotten the heritage of Aalto.

mill view across water image

Designboom writes:

On the Halikko river in Finland, Rintala Eggertsson Architects have constructed 'the mill'.
originally a proposal for green art, an ecological landscape art exhibition in Finland,
'the mill' is a shelter for kayak paddlers located on each side of the river bank which in southwest Finland. In the river's central stream, a mill collects energy that is generated from the river's current. The project was done in collaboration with Janne Saario, a student of architecture in helsinki.

mill-paddlewheel image

I cannot tell if it was ever built, but suspect that if the paddlewheel was built like the one in the model it isn't going to generate a whole lot of electricity. Nice to look at though.

Rintala Eggertsson Architects via Designboom

More great design from Finland in TreeHugger
FMO Tapiola: Prefab Wood Office Building in Finland
Eco-Toys from Finland
Fisker Karma to be Made in Finland by Valmet Automotive
Tree Museum by Ilkka Halso