Handcrafted, unique, strong sense of materiality – the concept of crafts is associated with many kinds of qualities which are also relevant to talk about within the field of architecture. The ‘Crafts’ issue brings forward some connections between crafts and architecture through showcasing 13 recently completed architectural projects, renovations, saunas and individual houses.
One aspect of crafts visible in architecture is the fact that each building needs to be tailored to fit the client’s needs, its surroundings, and so on. The concept of crafts is also closely associated with materials and their qualities. Traditional building techniques are still available today, yet on the other hand, traditional building materials, such as wood, stone and clay, can be also utilised in new ways – wood building meaning both applications of traditional joinery and assembly of CLT elements.
Special handcrafted attention is needed when combining old and new in renovations. As an example, the issue features Art and Culture Centre Kalevan Navetta in Seinäjoki by Hirvilammi Architects – designed into a 100-year-old barn.
The issue also takes a look at Burning Man festival in California, highlighting the crafts as a way of self-expression. Master cabinetmaker Antrei Hartikainen shares his thoughts on the concept of crafts and working with wood, whereas the founder-architects of Geometria Architecture explain the concept of digital craftsmanship, an approach integral to their oeuvre.
Editorial | With Hands and Brains
Mika Savela
HANDLING THE PAST
→ Dirk and the Chocolate Factory
Anna & Eugeni Bach
Interview | Turning a Chocolate Factory into a Home – interview with Anna and Eugeni Bach
TURNING ARTS AND CRAFTS VISIBLE
→ Kalevan Navetta Art and Culture Centre
Hirvilammi Architects
Twilight Experiences
Helena Teräväinen
SPECIAL CREATIONS
→ Shatwell Smoke Sauna
Tuomas Toivonen
ET IN ARCADIA EGO
Markus Lähteenmäki
→ Playhouse
Anna & Eugeni Bach
BUILT BY HAND
Skilled with Wood – interview with Antrei Hartikainen
→ Cabin Daylight
Mattila & Merz
→ Sauna Lepakko
Grotenfelt Architects
TAILOR-MADE HOUSES
→ Villa Furuholmen
RÅ Arkitektur
→ Villa Hero
POOK Architects
→ House L3
Sigge Architects
→ 3-Square House
Studio Puisto Architects
OLD MATERIALS, NEW APPLICATIONS
Updating the Toolbox – interview with Geometria Architecture
→ House SAHA
Ark’Aboa
→ 12
Ortraum Architects
MADE TOGETHER
→ A City Out of Nowhere
Mika Savela
→ Sauna Vitören
August Almqvist Jansson
REVIEWS
Exhibition | Konstig känsla känns bra / Weird Sensation Feels Good, ArkDes, Stockholm (Essi Oikarinen)
Exhibition | Uno Ullberg – An Architect from Finnish Vyborg + Are We All Ancient Greeks? Finnish Architects At The Roots Of Culture, Museum of Finnish Architecture (Mika Savela)