Helsinki

OOPEAA (Office for Peripheral Architecture) has won an invited competition for the design of the Allas Sea Pool Family in Helsinki, Finland. Constructed on floating platforms, and designed as a modular, flexible, adjustable system, the Allas Sea Pool Family is intended to be a new global typology for coastal sites, where building on land is not feasible.

The invited competition asked entrants to submit proposals which responded to varying environmental and seasonal conditions, with OOPEAA ultimately chosen for their “strong concept that places the floating spa in a central location in the city.”

+ 11

The Helsinki Central Library Oodi, designed by ALA Architects, is nearing completion in Finland. Due to open its doors on December 3rd 2018, the library is situated in the cultural district of Töölönlahti, where it will sit as a ”powerful and iconic temporary design” among other architectural landmarks.

Situated across from the Finnish Parliament House, the scheme represents an interaction between the state and its citizens, “a new avenue to promote freedom of speech and democracy.”

+ 9

+ 23

• Architects

  Playa Architects

• Location

  Koirasaarentie 32, 00870 Helsinki, Finland

• Lead Architects

  Johanna Ojanlatva, Veikko Ojanlatva, Tuukka Vuori

• Design Team

  Ilona Palmunen, Kristian Kontula, Heini Saari

• Area

  6200.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Tuomas Uusheimo, Tuukka Vuori

Finland based Futudesign has been announced as the winner of a competition which invited firms to repurpose part of the Helsinki Central Railway Station. The design, which will transform the station’s underutilized eastern wing into a hotel, both reinterprets and modernizes Eliel Saarinen's original architectural intent.

+ 16

+ 27

• Architects

  Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects

• Location

  Itäkatu 1-7, 00930 Helsinki, Finland

• Lead Architect

  Ilmari Lahdelma

• Area

  66000.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Kuvio, Kuudes

OOPEAA and Lujatalo worked together to design the winning proposal for a new multi-functional church and social housing project for Tikkurila, Helsinki entitled Church in the City. The project is unique in the way that the architect, builder, and client participated in a highly collaborative design process.

+ 7

+ 27

• Architects

  ORTRAUM

• Location

  Helsinki, Finland

• Architect in Charge

  Martin Lukasczyk

• Area

  230.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Marc Goodwin

+ 37

• Architects

  Marco Casagrande

• Location

  Helsinki, Finland

• Area

  37.5 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Jenni Gästgivar, Nikita Wu

Ten third-year furniture design students from Finland's Lahti University of Applied Sciences - Institute of Design, created temporary living solutions using only plywood and corrugated cardboard. Low cost, quick and easy fabrication, with no tools necessary: Rehome is a solution for recent catastrophes, such as natural disasters and the ongoing refugee crisis, which leave many people displaced from their homes.

+ 16

The renovation of the Aalto University Harald Herlin Learning Centre in Otaniemi, designed by NRT Architects in collaboration with JKMM Architects (interiors), has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Finlandia Prize for Architecture. Completed in 2016, the project is the first renovation to be awarded the prize. The original building was completed in 1970 to fit into the Alvar Aalto-designed Otaniemi campus plan.

Now in its fourth year, the prize was established to “increase public awareness of high quality Finnish architecture and [to highlight] its benefits for our well-being.” Last year, APRT Architects’ Rovaniemi Sports Arena, Railo took home top honors.

+ 14

• Architects

  &' [Emmi Keskisarja & Janne Teräsvirta & Company Architects], Y-team

• Location

  Seurasaarentie 11, 00250 Helsinki, Finland

• Y-Team

  &' [Emmi Keskisarja & Janne Teräsvirta & Company Architects], Tommi Alatalo, Antrei Hartikainen, Kaleidoscope Nordic AS, Irmelin Rose Fisch Vågen

• Lead Architects and Structural Design

  Emmi Keskisarja, Janne Teräsvirta, Tommi Alatalo, Antrei Hartikainen

• Area

  15.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  SWANG

+ 33

• Architects

  Aalto University Wood Program

• Location

  Annankatu 30, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

• Area

  81.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Marc Goodwin, Philip Tidwell

+ 32

• Architects

  AVARRUS Architects

• Location

  Helsinki, Finland

• Architect in Charge

  Pauli Siponen

• Area

  450.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Ville Vappula Photography

The city of Helsinki has announced the launch of a self-driving bus line that will integrate into the city’s regular transportation service. The service, known as the Helsinki RoboBusLine, is the second phase of a three-year experimentation with autonomous buses as part of the Sohjoa project, an EU-financed venture by the six largest cities of Finland, Finnish universities, and transportation authorities to prepare for new public transit services and autonomous vehicles.

The first phase of the project, debuted in August of last year, saw the implementation of two self-driving electric minibuses capable of traveling at just 11 kilometers per hour, and with an operator on board in case of emergency. The RoboBusLine will take the next step, allowing the bus to travel like a more traditional bus.

The team consisting of ALA Architects, HKP Architects and Ramboll Finland has won an invited competition for the renovation and expansion of Helsinki Airport’s Terminal 2 with their entry titled “City Hall.” Organized by Finnish airport operator Finavia, the competition asked four international firms to create a new airport plan centered around a reenvisioned terminal that will allow the airport to efficiently serve up to 20 million passengers per year. 

+ 8

When placed in a historic landscape, contemporary architecture requires a layered approach. It must often strike a respectful, vernacular tone, whilst embracing the innovative, functional hallmarks of a modern building. This balance has particular relevance at Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, located off the coast of Helsinki, Finland. Throughout its 300-year history, it was once occupied by the armies of Sweden, Russia and Finland – a rich history attracting UNESCO World Heritage status, and almost one million annual visitors. The site is more than a museum, however, but a living district of Helsinki with 800 inhabitants and 500 jobs.

Against the prerequisites of past and present, Heikkinen & Kangasaho Architects have combined sharp, functional modernity with respectful, restrained simplicity in a new housing scheme to sit amongst Suomenlinna’s historic fortifications.

+ 7

+ 38

• Architects

  JKMM Architects

• Location

  Helsinki, Finland

• Architect in Charge

  Juha Mäki-Jyllilä

• Partners

  Asmo Jaaksi, Teemu Kurkela, Samuli Miettinen

• Area

  8480.0 m2

• Project Year

  2016

• Photographs

  Mika Huisman