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NO SPE RD CIA IC AR L TH - F CH EM E IN LA ITEC : ND TU RE
Photos: Tuomo Siitonen Architects (top left), Serum architects (bottom left) and Helin & Co (right).
Architecture in Finland By Jorma Mukala, Editor-in-Chief, ARK The Finnish Architectural Review
Some five million people have chosen the densely forested "northern rim” of Europe and brisk climate of Finland as their home. Trees dominate the landscape here, and while there are no mountains to speak of, the country abounds with lakes. Cities in Finland are rather small, scattered randomly around the woodland countryside. The vast open territory of Lapland comprises the entire northern section of our elongated country, while our shores are a polymorphic gathering of ornamental islands and archipelagos. Along with its suburbs, the capital city of Helsinki on the southern coast forms the only urban area in Finland with over a million inhabitants. Modern architecture has found a strong foothold in our cold environs. Still in its in-
fancy, modernism came to Finland in the late 1920s and was immediately enthusiastically embraced. Practicality, functionality, application of contemporary technology and the pursuit of equality have remained important values in the Finnish architecture community throughout the decades. This continuation of the modernist ethos may well be regarded as one of the hallmarks of contemporary Finnish architecture. There are no Finnish names among the famous list of hip “starchitects”, and despite having received a lot of attention from the press, “wow-factor” architecture with its dramatic and surprising shapes has not caught on. In its stead, however, efforts to mitigate climate change are quickly changing the ways Finns construct
their built environment. This new emphasis on sustainable development has also re-introduced wood to contemporary architecture in a fresh new way. Half a century ago, wood was largely confined to traditional “old-fashioned” construction, but as a renewable natural material, wood is definitely making a comeback. Architects are finding innovative ways to use this ecological material that the country’s many forests supply in abundance.
For more information, please visit: www.ark.fi www.safa.fi
Issue 69 | October 2014 | 101