Tag: helsinki | ArchDaily

Postiljooni Daycare Center / Verstas Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Postiljooni Daycare Center is located in the new Postipuisto residential district, developed on the site of a former logistics terminal and railway depot area. The compact daycare building occupies a prominent location at the intersection of Kollikatu and Lavakatu, where the urban block structure meets the rugged rocky terrain. The design approach has been to align the building with the surrounding streets while preserving the area's highest natural feature—Kollikallio—as an integral part of the children's playground.

Aurinkokallio Daycare Center / Verstas Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Aurinkokallio Daycare Center is located in Kannelmäki, Helsinki, replacing the old daycare building from the 1970s. The three-story building is carefully placed on the sloping plot, as an urban infill between existing apartment buildings and a verdant forest park.

Aalto Design – Shapes of Wellbeing 

Rene Submissions — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:05:00 +0000

Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki  invites visitors to explore Alvar,  Aino and Elissa Aalto’s architecture and design from the perspective of wellbeing. The multidisciplinary exhibition boldly asks what these classics can contribute to contemporary discussions on the design of wellbeing. 

 The exhibition highlights wellbeing as the Aaltos’ major contribution to Western architectural modernism and examines how their work and philosophy approach it as a balance between people, nature, the built environment, and materials. It connects the Aaltos’ idea of holistic wellbeing with contemporary thinking and the growing desire to understand wellbeing as extending beyond the individual to concern the whole planet. 

The exhibition is produced

7 Unbuilt Masterplans Reimagining Urban Futures Through Ecology and Collective Space

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Urban masterplans remain an exploratory ground for unbuilt speculation, offering insight into how cities might recalibrate mobility, ecology, and collective life in response to accelerating environmental and social pressures. In this Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected projects bring together a range of large-scale proposals that examine urban centers, waterfront districts, infrastructural corridors, and cultural landscapes as spatial frameworks for reconnection and resilience. Rather than treating the masterplan as a rigid blueprint, these projects approach urbanism as an adaptive system shaped by climate, topography, infrastructure, and public space.

From Wenzhou to Nürnberg: 7 Unbuilt Cultural Projects Imagining Public Life

Nour Fakharany — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Cultural institutions represent an active field for unbuilt architectural exploration, reflecting how architects continue to question the role of public buildings in shaping urban life. In this Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected proposals bring together a range of projects that engage with museums, exhibition centers, and diplomatic buildings as sites of public encounter. Rather than treating these programs as fixed types, these projects approach them as evolving spatial settings through which cities engage with history, knowledge, and representation.

Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin Presents Exhibition on Helin & Co’s Helsinki Urban Projects

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 05:30:00 +0000

From September 6 to October 15, 2025, the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin will host an exhibition on the Finnish architectural firm Helin & Co. The show aims to examine the firm's role in shaping Helsinki over the past two decades. Titled Heart and Horizon, it reflects the practice's approach of combining the human scale ("Heart") with an engagement with urban space along the waterfront ("Horizon"). A central focus is placed on three projects that have been fundamental to Helsinki's transformation: the Kamppi Centre, a networked urban quarter with mobility hubs, cultural and residential areas; the Kalasatama Centre, a new district on the former harbour that combines urban density with views of the sea; and the Sello District Centre in Espoo, a multifunctional complex with a library, music school and concert hall.

JKMM Architects Wins Competition to Design Finland’s New Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The international design competition to select the architect for Finland's new Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki has concluded with the announcement that JKMM Architects has been awarded first prize. The Helsinki-based practice's proposal, known during the competition as Kumma, was chosen from 624 entries submitted from around the world. The open and anonymous competition, launched in April 2024, sought conceptual designs for a new 10,050-square-meter cultural institution to be built on the city's South Harbor waterfront. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with completion and public opening planned for 2030.

A Modernist Church Set in Stone: The Story Behind the Temppeliaukio Kirkko in Helsinki, Finland

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Near the center of Helsinki, Finland, in the Töölö neighborhood, one can find the Temppeliaukio Church, an unusual-looking Lutheran church nestled between granite rocks. Approaching the square from Fredrikinkatu street, the church appears subtly, a flat dome barely rising above its surrounding landscape. An unassuming entrance, flanked by concrete walls, leads visitors through a dark hallway, and into the light-filled sanctuary carved directly into the bedrock. The exposed rock walls earned it the alternative name “The Church of the Rock.” To contrast the heaviness of the materials, skylights surrounding the dome create a play of light and shadows and a feeling of airiness.

From the Tar Pits of Los Angeles to the Forests of Finland, Discover 8 Conceptual Museum Designs from the ArchDaily Community

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Museums and cultural centers hold a unique position in society as spaces for learning, community, and connection. They serve as platforms for preserving history and engaging the public with new ideas and perspectives. Architecture plays a key role in shaping these experiences, providing the physical and emotional framework that enhances how people interact with art, culture, and each other. From monumental structures to more intimate designs, these cultural buildings have the potential to reflect local identities, champion sustainability, and inspire visitors while creating lasting cultural landmarks.

Alvar Aalto's Finlandia Hall Reopens in Helsinki After Extensive Renovations Led by Arkkitehdit NRT

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Originally designed by Modernist architect and designer Alvar Aalto in 1971, Finlandia Hall represents one of Helsinki's most important modernist works of architecture. In early 2022, an extensive renovation project began, led by Finnish architecture firm Arkkitehdit NRT, aiming to make the venue more accessible to the wider public and create additional services while respecting Alvar Aalto's original design. After three years of renovation, Finlandia Hall officially reopens on Saturday, 4 January 2025.

Finland’s New Museum of Architecture and Design Reveals the 5 Shortlisted Designs

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design Foundation, in partnership with the Real Estate Company ADM, has unveiled the five designs shortlisted for the international competition aimed at offering Helsinki a new venue highlighting architecture history and design. This new museum, to be located in the historic South Harbour, has received global interest, with 624 anonymized submissions reviewed since September 2024. This announcement marks the completion of the competition's first phase, as all successful entries will advance to a second stage, receiving a financial award to refine their concepts.

The Cloud Block Inclusive Housing / INARO Integrated Architecture Office

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The project seeks to explore how architectural design can support commonality and inclusion while reinterpreting the semi-dense perimeter block typology in a former warehouse area, Postipuisto, in Helsinki, Finland. Social inclusion forms the core of the design. The housing block accommodates affordable housing, co-housing, rental apartments, and owner-occupied units. The different housing tenure types share a common courtyard for all residents. The design of plan types is adjusted for each unit. For instance, the affordable apartments at the eastern tip of the block were designed for a local organization providing housing for low-income residents. Here, apartments for different households are mixed, including larger family apartments, studios, as well as special units with high-level accessibility for the elderly.

Alvar Aalto Foundation Announces Preservation Milestone for Studio Aalto in Helsinki, Finland

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Studio Aalto and its garden area have just been officially granted protection by the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment. Originally constructed in 1955 as an architect's office, with an extension in 1962-63, it holds major significance as the workspace where Alvar Aalto's acclaimed architecture was conceived. Additionally, the Studio reflects the architectural-office design ethos of the 1950s and 60s. Its interiors, including layers of furniture accumulated over decades, remain intact and are integral to the site's protected status, marking it as the first Aalto location in Finland to be listed in this way.

Maatulli School and Kindergarten / Fors Arkitekter + Arkkitehtuuri ja muotoilutoimisto Talli + Blomqvist Arkitektur

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Helsinki's new primary school and kindergarten are designed to harmonize with its natural surroundings. The design is informed by research indicating that an educational institution built from wood and closely connected to nature has a positive impact on children's mental and physical health. Maatulli School and Kindergarten, located in a lush park in Helsinki's Tapulikaupunki district, is home to 700 school pupils and 238 kindergarteners. The school is organized as a village of five wooden buildings, arranged around a circular green courtyard known as "The Forest Glade." The school and its outdoor learning environments seamlessly integrate into the surrounding park landscape, preserving the existing terrain and trees.

Meander Residence / Steven Holl Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Meander shapes void spaces within an urban block and maximizes views and sunlight for 115 apartments. The 180-meter-long building, varying in height from two to seven floors, traverses its rectangular site like a musical score. Located in Helsinki's cultural district Taka-Töölö along Taivallahti Bay, the site is bordered by the Taivallahti Barracks of apartments and offices. Rising in section towards the sea horizon, Meander introduces openness to the historic barracks.

Helsingin Muurarimestari / AVARRUS Architects

Hadir Al Koshta — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Founding partners Pauli Siponen and Niilo Ikonen of Avarrus Architects had a common vision to create housing that would last for generations and set new standards in sustainability and resilience.

Finnish ‘Architect of Light’ Juha Ilmari Leiviskä Passes Away at 87

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Juha Ilmari Leiviskä, one of Finland´s foremost architects recognized for his design of light-filled poetic spaces, passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 87. Born in Helsinki and educated at Helsinki University of Technology, Leiviskä developed a personal style throughout his six decades-long career, working with his own family of forms to design buildings with unique identities, yet unified by their treatment of light and geometry. His architecture has been praised for its serene, hones, and timeless qualities, earning him numerous awards and international recognition.

Participatory Planning: Shaping Cities through Community Engagement

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Moving away from top-down approaches, contemporary practices embrace more inclusive and participatory models and design processes. Participatory planning, a notion that prioritizes involving the entire community in the decision-making process, has earned widespread recognition and popularity globally. Cities across the world have interpreted participatory planning to fit their unique needs, using technology and government resources to expedite and enhance the process.