This Saturday I went with some friends to an exhibit at the Finnish Embassy entitled: MY PARADISE: 100 years of Finnish Architects' summer homes. The exhibit was really interesting but what really impressed me was the beautiful building. It was a perfect day which helped, but so does the location: located on Embassy Row in a nook surrounded by Rock Creek Park. The site is heavily planted and the exterior of the building has vines crawling over it.
The exhibit space is directly below the front entrance and you descend down a beautiful curved wood and steel staircase. Cleverly, the lower two treads are granite -a sort of resting pad for the staircase.
the stair
interior shots, looking up
My favorite project exhibited was Villa Oivala by Oiva Kallio from 1924. The summer house, sited on the edge of a lake, had a wall of french doors facing the lake as well as a completely open courtyard with all the rooms off of it. The 'front door' merely brought you into the open courtyard and not into the house. The wall of french doors could open letting breezes into the courtyard and opening the space to the view. 
Back views of the model showing the open french doors to the lake & view and the interior courtyard
