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.
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?
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.
Sustainability Is No Longer a Matter of Choice
A new EU directive demonstrates that sustainability entails more than just environmental impacts, and it affects us all.
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.
What Does the Finlandia Prize Shortlist Reveal About the Current State of Finnish Architecture?
Four new-builds and one refurbishment project are in the running for this year’s Finlandia Prize for Architecture. When it comes to architectural expression, two distinct styles are readily visible.
Skilfully Efficient
The efficient use of space in the new Lamminrahka School Centre does not take away from the utility and natural light in the spaces.
A Decade of No Colour
Colour is an inseparable characteristic of architecture that has its distinct, long and diverse traditions independent of the developments in fine arts.
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.