With over half a million visitors a year, the Tempeliaukkio or ‘Rock Church’ is one of Helsinki’s most treasured landmarks. Designed before the Second World war in 1930, and built in 1968 by by brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, the Lutheran church was constructed within an excavated rock formation. Apart from its impressive architectural features the glazed dome hovering above the church ensures the structure is bathed in natural light throughout the day. Crane.tv speaks to Timo Suomalainen about winning the architectural competition for Temppeliaukio in 1961, Helsinki’s modernist movement and how he was inspired by growing up on a Finnish Island, surrounded by natural landscapes.
