In February 2021, the fourteenth Alvar Aalto Medal was awarded to Bijoy Jain, the director of the Indian architectural office Studio Mumbai. In their work, the office seamlessly combines architecture and craftsmanship and attention to local conditions.
In recent decades, the perimeter block has become the go-to urban typology in Finnish urban planning and a symbol of urban life. If you take a closer look at the form, however, it does not create life around it as such. The potential lies in more subtle design choices.