Editorial 1/20: On Common Land
What do togetherness, communities and participation mean for contemporary architectural practice? Do we need shared visions for the future?
A Townhouse in the Chain of Generations
The new building completing the frontage of the market square in Kotka forms the latest phase in the history of a plot whose ownership has been passed down from mother to daughter for already three generations.
Farmhouse Living Room, Church and Dance Floor
Puuhi, a community space for informal encounters and cultural activities in the village of Soini, was born from a local initiative. A local yet internationally renowned architect Anssi Lassila was a natural choice for the job.
Campus for Connections
JKMM Archtects designed a new head office for Kesko Corporation in Kalasatama, Helsinki. The activity-based environment encourages encounters between the employees – and the building itself also positions itself to encounter the new city district being built around it.
A Paradigm Shift
Mikko Summanen visits the Jätkäsaari Comprehensive School, which is one of the first school buildings in which also spatial solutions support the new pedagogical objectives of the newest Finnish national curriculum. It is also AOR Architects’ first public building to be realised.
Nordic Voices
The Nordic Works collective is well-known for the participatory urban design method they have developed. After having operated in various parts of Finland for more than seven years, the collective is now looking abroad.
Can We Share Our Way to Sustainability?
The sharing economy has grown into a major new trend, and the concept of sharing is now beginning to extend to housing too. Used cleverly, it could be an excellent way to deliver sustainable urban planning and housing design, suggests Annamari Vesamo.
Romance and Cosmic Connections
For Mika Savela, the design competition for the Annex to the National Museum of Finland concluded in late 2019 highlights questions regarding the relationship between architecture and the story of a nation.
Flipside of an Activity-Based Office
An activity-based office increases interaction and creates innovations – or perhaps not. Virve Peteri, Academy Research Fellow, has studied workspaces of the 2010s. What kind of effects does an activity-based office have on working?