ArtGarden by night. In ArtGarden, community spirit is combined with art and green living in an urban environment.
Architecture that puts people before buildings For Antti Heikkilä, the founder of Antti Heikkilä Architecture, architecture is not just about buildings. “It is about facilitating good life for people in different life situations and taking care of the smooth running of everyday life,” he tells Scan Magazine. By Mari Koskinen | Photos: Antti Heikkilä Architecture
“An architect’s work is very much about customer service,” says Heikkilä. “I think that architecture services should be available for everybody; a house designed by a professional architect can fulfil the owner’s needs and yet be cost-effective. When I listen carefully to clients’ wishes about their dream home and understand their life situation, I can find the best possible solution within the target budget.” Heikkilä started the company in 2004 and runs it with his team from their of32 | Issue 130 | November 2019
fice in Vantaa, next door to Helsinki Airport. “The majority of our projects are in the capital area, but we cover the whole country, including Lapland,” he says. The firm offers a full range of architectural services, from residential, retail and office construction to real estate development, land-use planning and zoning. The residential construction projects vary from private homes and summer cottages to large apartment blocks with several different types of homes.
In city zoning projects, Heikkilä and his team give their input to city planning, including, for example, what options there are for the particular area in question, what type and size of buildings are suitable for the area, what public services such as schools and transportation are needed, and so on. “In real estate development, the architect designs the big picture: how the area serves the citizens for at least the next 100 years. You need to build on the potential of the area and often combine existing buildings with new ones.”
From big picture to every little detail According to Heikkilä, an architect must be able to visualise people’s everyday life in the new home while designing it.