2/2021 Tradition and Renewal
Combatting climate change poses new objectives for architecture as well. The answers to current and future problems can also be found through looking back: this issue is inspired by traditions and their new applications.
The aim to be carbon neutral has put a spotlight on the choice of materials in architecture. Elina Koivisto starts the issue with a thorough examination of the state of monomaterial construction in Finland – multi-layered construction has long been the norm in the construction industry. To illustrate the subject, the issue showcases projects with wooden frames, such as the Wood City, an urban block in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, currently the biggest wooden block in Finland. In Kajaani, upper seconday school and vocational college got a new extension wing with CLT structure. Villa Koivikko, Aarne Ervi’s modernist villa in Espoo, is nowadays accompanied by three new shingle-clad and log-framed buildings.
Tradition and renewal also bring up questions on locality and universality. In her article, Iida Kalakoski examines barns as inspiration for contemporary architecture: the trend is global, yet applications stem from local traditions. Anu Soikkeli is looking for more sustainable ways to carry out planning and design in the north: the cultural vitality of northern indigenous people has often been weakened by applying western architectural ideas to them.
Materiality is examined from a broader perspective through the work of Indian architect Bijoy Jain, who was awarded the fourteenth Alvar Aalto Medal in the beginning of 2021. In the interview, Jain emphasizes the meanings conveyed through the sense of touch and, on the other hand, the role of the building as one of the intermediate stages in the circulation of materials.
Content
Editorial | Time and Matter
Kristo Vesikansa
Updating Monomaterial Construction
Elina Koivisto
Interview with Bijoy Jain
Kristo Vesikansa
Research into Arctic Villages
Anu Soikkeli
Zero Arctic
Marko Huttunen, Juulia Mikkola, Frans Saraste, Panu Savolainen
On the Drawing Board | Repairing is a Source for Sustainability
Emilia Saatsi, Pekka Saatsi
Architecture from the Field Side
Iida Kalakoski
PROJECTS
→ Wood City Supercell
Anttinen Oiva Architects
Article | New Wooden Grounds
Essi Oikarinen
→ Villa Koivikko
OOPEAA
Interview | Intertwined with Modernism
→ Saukonlaituri Parking Facility
ALA Architects
Commentary | Ceramic Vessel
Tommy Lindgren
→ Kajaani Upper Secondary School and Kainuu Vocational College Extension
alt Architects
Interview | Gently Sitting in Its Place
→ Majamaja Wuorio
Littow architectes
Interview | Off the Grid
Revisit | Rajamäki School and Rajakaari Multipurpose Hall
Karita Rytivaara
Column | The Unfinished Business of Regionalism in Portuguese Architecture
Ricardo Costa Agarez
REVIEWS
Book | Laura Berger (ed.): The Look of Leisure. Historic Seaside Villas of the Northern Baltic (Maire Mattinen)
Book | Anna Bokov: Avant-Garde as Method. Vkhutemas and the Pedagogy of Space, 1920–1930 (Esa Laaksonen)
Exhibition | The Virtual Girjegumpi – The Sámi Architecture Library (Marja Rautaharju)
Photo Column | Fundamentals of Facade Design – A Barn in Evitskog
Tuomas Uusheimo