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.”

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• Architects

  ALA Architects, Esa Piironen Architects

• Location

  Otaniementie 12, 02150 Espoo, Finland

• Category

  Metro Station

• Architects in Charge

  Partnersls Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta & Samuli Woolston (ALA) with Esa Piironen

• Area

  15500.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Tuomas Uusheimo

Have you ever spent hours calibrating the nozzle of a 3D printer or preparing a print-ready file – only to find that the model has failed because of a missed zero-thickness wall? With this in mind, the Platonics Ark—a 3D printer currently being developed in Helsinki, Finland—has one simple goal: to remove all unnecessary set-up and technical processes by means of intelligent automation and, as a result, almost entirely eliminate the wasted time that architects and designers spend calibrating printers, or working up print-ready files.

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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.

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We’ve all reached that point in a stressful project where you need to take a step back and take a breather before refocusing on the task at hand – for many, this process can be aided by the liquid motivation of a nice, cold beer.

Identifying this uncanny connection, Finnish firm ALA Architects has just released their very own craft beer, cheekily titled “Revision Cloud Architectural Pale Ale” in a nod to both the unfiltered quality of the drink and the very CAD element that often causes the need for a cold one in the first place.

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The city of Copenhagen have announced the shortlist of 5 firms that will compete for the design of a new aquatics center to be located on a prominent site in the Copenhagen Harbor. Planned for completion in 2021, the project will feature a 5,000-square-meter facility offering both indoor and outdoor swimming areas with views across the water to the Henning Larsen-designed Copenhagen Opera House.

The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) have announced a shortlist of 4 projects in contention for the Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2016. Now in its third year, the prize continues with the goal to “increase public awareness of high quality Finnish architecture and [to highlight] its benefits for our well-being.”

Following the tradition of the award, while the shortlist was selected by a panel of architects, the final winning project will be chosen by a non-architect. This year, former Prime Minister of Finland Paavo Lipponen will have the honor of picking the winner.

Find out more about the 4 projects after the break.

Architectural photographer Marc Goodwin has recently completed "the ultra-marathon of photoshoots:" twenty-eight architectural offices in twenty-eight days, spread across four capital cities – Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Helsinki. His aim was to understand what sort of spaces architects in the Nordic countries operate in, and how they differ between each respective country. From former boathouses to stables and coal deposits, Goodwin has captured some of the most unique working environments the profession has to offer.

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• Architects

  ALA Architects

• Location

  53100 Lappeenranta, Finland

• Category

  theater

• Area

  5300.0 sqm

• Project Year

  2016

• Photographs

  Tuomas Uusheimo

Take a tour inside ALA Architect’s Helsinki Central Library with a new animation and set of images revealing the project’s spacious interiors. The project, which was awarded to ALA through an international competition, boasts a unique set of programs, such as a ground floor cinema, second story sauna, “Nerd Attic” and dreamy “Book Heaven” that is topped with a cloud-like undulating roof and includes a distinctive outdoor “Citizens’ Balcony.”

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ALA Architect's submission for Aalto University's Campus2015 international design competition proposed a "conglomerate of buildings to form an incubator of activity." Their aim was to "connect existing structures and projects to create a new areal hotspot, an urban concentration with vivid street life" in order to nurture an "open display of creativity."

ALA Architects have just won the design competition for the new Helsinki Central Library with their entry “Käännös”. Located in the heart of Helsinki, the 16,000 square meter library building will consist almost entirely of public spaces and will offer a wide selection of services. It will serve as the new central point for the city’s impressive public library network and is slated to open in 2018. More images and architects' description after the break.

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• Architects

  ALA Architects

• Location

  Kristiansand, Norway

• Category

  Cultural Architecture

• Competition Team

  ALA Architects ltd, Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta, Samuli Woolston

• Project Team

  ALA Architects ltd / Helsinki, Kristians

• In Collaboration With

  SMS Arkitekter AS / Kristiansand

• Client

  Teater- og Konserthus for Sørlandet IKS

• Project Year

  0

• Photographs

  Iwan Baan