“Exporting is hard work that requires investment. We haven’t gone to China just to build one opera house, but we’ve done a lot of things, from which this work has emerged.”
Finnish (Post)modernism?
The prominent names in Finnish architecture of the 1980s, Simo and Käpy Paavilainen, Jyrki Tasa, and Reijo Jallinoja, talk about what postmodernism meant to them at the time, and what it means today.
Internationalising Finland – Four Viewpoints
Four architects who have made Finland their home discuss what day-to-day practice looks like here and the change that is needed to help the sector become more international in outlook.
Destination USA? – In Discussion with Ala Architects
Ala Architects has designed buildings throughout Europe, but so far none of their designs have made it to the United States. Why is that?
What Sets the Finnish Architecture Scene Apart from the United States?
Henrik Ilvesmäki studied architecture at Harvard University for four years. He noticed a marked difference between the United States and his native Finland in the dynamics between architectural academia and practice. This difference has a potentially profound impact on the future of the field in the two countries.
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Why Is Finland Not More Visible Abroad?
Rainer Mahlamäki sees at least three factors that explain the modest international visibility of contemporary Finnish architecture. The photos in the article show the 11 Finnish buildings that have been shortlisted for the Mies van der Rohe Award.
In Helsinki, There Are Several Neighbourhoods Where You Can Hardly See White – “The Role of the Colours Is to Welcome the Visitor”
Architect Suvi Tyynilä wanted Helsinki's Kuninkaantammi and Honkasuo districts to be warm, homely and communal places. Colours played an important role in achieving it.
Spirit of the 1980s
The premises of the Supreme Administrative Court have been updated to meet current needs, but the 1980s atmosphere is also very much present.
The Architect’s Degree – in Black and White?
In the three schools of architecture in Finland, the curriculums have recently included only a few courses dealing with colour. “It is time to learn to think about the colour of our environment already at the sketching phase”, write three recently graduated architects.
Something Old, New and Borrowed – But Do We Have Anything Blue?
The urban planners working on Tampere’s new colour plan would be wise to look to earlier examples for guidance.
Short Syllabus in Colour Research
The research-based colour design is weakly known in Finland. Colour researcher Saara Pyykkö shares her insights on what an architect should know about colour.
3/2024Stage
What kind of space is suitable for presenting? What kind of ideals guide contemporary theatre buildings? What kind of city will be created around the arenas?
Vision and Form
Kotka’s new events centre is ALA Architects’ latest take on the theme of a sculptural main facade.
Dramaturgy of Building and Ruin
If one examines an office building or shopping centre through the means of performing arts, what do they reveal about themselves, about architecture – and about the act of performing?
Artwashing Demolition
Utilising to-be-demolished buildings for temporary art shows is becoming a formalized urban development practice. However, it disregards the potential of existing urban spaces and ignores the temporary use and artistic agency as vehicles for place-shaping.
A Stadium and a Place
With the new stadium carefully adapted to its surroundings, a quiet corner of Tammela has become a vibrant part of the city district.
A Key to Modern Architecture
In the 1970s, architect Pentti Piha was involved in developing and bringing to Finland the so-called black box stage, which performing artists are nowadays critical of. Through this critique, we can reevaluate the legacy of modernist architecture even more broadly.
Time Traveling
In the recent renovation of the Finnish National Theatre’s Small Stage there is no appreciable distinction between the materials of different ages or the temporal layers, but rather a theatre visit takes you back to the 1950s.
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Arenas of Urban Development
Helsinki, Turku and Oulu are planning to build event arenas in central locations. In Tampere, an arena built above the railway has been in use for a good two years. What kind of cityscape is being constructed along these megaprojects?