Arkkitehti - Finnish Architectural Review

Phenomena — 15.6.2026

Prototypes lead the way to the low-carbon future

One way to develop carbon-neutral materials is to construct prototypes and demo houses that are built to actual scale. Kristo Vesikansa surveyed the most interesting experiments in Europe.

Phenomena — 18.6.2026

geopolitics

Geopolitics is thought about a lot in the architectural field, but rarely talked about

Italian Daniele Belleri has written a series of articles for the Finnish Architectural Review website about the influence of geopolitics on Finnish architecture. In the final article of the series, he discusses how the architectural field should act in the changed geopolitical situation.

Phenomena — 18.6.2026

geopolitics

Architecture can form a counterforce to imperialism, and Finland is a good example of this, says researcher Markus Lähteenmäki

Art historian Markus Lähteenmäki has studied imperialism in architecture. According to Lähteenmäki, anti-imperialist thinking is an inseparable part of the history of Finnish architecture.

Viewpoint — 15.6.2026

urban design

How to design cities that nurture joy

Examining the city through the lens of urban joy reveals the importance of preserving spontaneity, informality and the freedom to use spaces without purpose, argues Merve Ünlü.

Research — 15.6.2026

self-building

Protest camps give an example of what genuinely democratic planning could look like

Pijatta Heinonen studied the planning and building practices in three Central-European areas that had originally been occupied by protesters in their recent doctoral dissertation.

Viewpoint — 15.6.2026

housing design

Refurbishing the idea of home

Home refurbishments reveal an attitude that playfully underscores daily use and materiality, rather than newly built structures.

Editorial — 15.6.2026

small scale

Close to the ground, eyes on the horizon

Small projects have the potential to act as prototypes for new sustainable technologies and lifestyles. Thus, the Small Interventions issue focuses on the margins of the architectural field and through them explores approaches that could have broader applications.

Editorial — 4.5.2026

oulu

Oulu under construction

To mark Oulu’s year as the European Capital of Culture in 2026, the Finnish Architectural Review dedicates an issue to the current topics related to architecture and urban planning in Oulu.

Phenomena — 28.4.2026

geopolitics

Oodi Library is the opposite of flexibility – ”This is a public, open building for people, it cannot be transformed into an office building”

Finnish libraries are a laboratory for materializing an egalitarian society, says researcher Hossam Hewidy. Daniele Belleri discusses the importance of libraries in national crisis resilience with five architects dedicated to library design.

Case Study — 27.4.2026

built heritage

Forgotten utopia of Linnanmaa campus

The Linnanmaa campus at the University of Oulu is an internationally recognised, significant ensemble of modern architecture that was designed to be modifiable. And yet, the university is now making plans for a new campus elsewhere.

Project Review — 27.4.2026

schools

“Timeless and more relevant than ever” – The new wooden school complements the courtyard on the riverbank

The context-aware architecture of the new wooden school building in Kiiminki is born from a unique structural simplicity, states Matti Lakkala.

Project Review — 27.4.2026

industrial architecture

The beauty of the new Nokia Campus in Oulu lies in precision

The architecture of Nokia’s new campus is as refined as the design work and manufacturing carried out there, writes Lauri Louekari.

Project Review — 22.4.2026

modern architecture

Oulu preserved its modern icon

The Oulu Central Library was extensively renovated after 40 years of use – yet it still looks and feels familiar, writes Helena Hirviniemi.

Project Review — 22.4.2026

industrial heritage

The warehouse lent its shape to a new block

The new service block in Toppilansalmi, Oulu, reminisces the area's former use as a port. The unpretentious and everyday feel of the materials and details suits the industrial nostalgia, muses Johan Lindfors.

Book — 22.4.2026

urban design

Alvar Aalto’s environmental thinking was ahead of its time

There are features in Alvar Aalto's design work that foreshadow later efforts at sustainable design, a new book argues.

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Case Study — 27.4.2026

urban design

Forgotten utopia of Linnanmaa campus

The Linnanmaa campus at the University of Oulu is an internationally recognised, significant ensemble of modern architecture that was designed to be modifiable. And yet, the university is now making plans for a new campus elsewhere.

3 – 2026
Small Interventions

How do prototypes advance the field of architecture? What can be found in the margins of architectural field? What does genuinely democratic urban planning look like?

Projects

Culture

Reina Sofía Museum Cinema and Auditorium

BACH
Madrid
2025

Housing

Linnanpuisto Housing

SOHA
Helsinki
2026

Houses

Villa Mössala

Jari Heikkinen
Helsinki
2024

Housing

Vipusentie 26

Lindroos Architects
Helsinki
2025

Leisure

Sauna in Tenala

architecture studio kimmo friman
Raseborg
2025

Leisure

Villa Puutasku

Planetary Architecture
Southern Finland
2023

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Finnish architecture in the shadow of geopolitics

Phenomena — 2.1.2026

Museum of Architecture and Design

Pilvi Kalhama: “Today’s construction culture is too cautious”

Finland spends too much time calculating risks, says Pilvi Kalhama, director of the Museum of Architecture and Design. This may also be the reason why no major Finnish companies have emerged in the creative industries in recent decades, Kalhama says in an interview with Daniele Belleri.

Phenomena — 17.12.2025

geopolitics

Panu Savolainen: In Finland, architecture has been considered more apolitical than it actually is

Can geology and geopolitics together tell us something about the future of architecture in Finland? The climate crisis has forced us to rethink supposedly timeless elements of the Earth – air, oceans, and ancient sediments as not immutable or insulated from human impact, contrary to extractivist belief.

Phenomena — 28.4.2026

geopolitics

Oodi Library is the opposite of flexibility – ”This is a public, open building for people, it cannot be transformed into an office building”

Finnish libraries are a laboratory for materializing an egalitarian society, says researcher Hossam Hewidy. Daniele Belleri discusses the importance of libraries in national crisis resilience with five architects dedicated to library design.

Phenomena — 20.4.2026

geopolitics

What remains of the Oulu School?

The architecture of the Oulu School has been both loved and disparaged. The buildings are now due for refurbishment, and many risk demolition.

Newest issues

3 – 2026
Small Interventions

2 – 2026
Oulu

1 – 2026
Housing Variations

5 – 2025
New Visions

4 – 2025
Modern Heritage

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Prototypes lead the way to the low-carbon future

Geopolitics is thought about a lot in the architectural field, but rarely talked about

Architecture can form a counterforce to imperialism, and Finland is a good example of this, says researcher Markus Lähteenmäki

How to design cities that nurture joy

Protest camps give an example of what genuinely democratic planning could look like

Refurbishing the idea of home

Close to the ground, eyes on the horizon

Oulu under construction

Oodi Library is the opposite of flexibility – ”This is a public, open building for people, it cannot be transformed into an office building”

Forgotten utopia of Linnanmaa campus

“Timeless and more relevant than ever” – The new wooden school complements the courtyard on the riverbank

The beauty of the new Nokia Campus in Oulu lies in precision

Oulu preserved its modern icon

The warehouse lent its shape to a new block

Alvar Aalto’s environmental thinking was ahead of its time

Forgotten utopia of Linnanmaa campus

3 – 2026Small Interventions

Projects

Reina Sofía Museum Cinema and Auditorium

Linnanpuisto Housing

Villa Mössala

Vipusentie 26

Sauna in Tenala

Villa Puutasku

Finnish architecture in the shadow of geopolitics

Pilvi Kalhama: “Today’s construction culture is too cautious”

Panu Savolainen: In Finland, architecture has been considered more apolitical than it actually is

Oodi Library is the opposite of flexibility – ”This is a public, open building for people, it cannot be transformed into an office building”

What remains of the Oulu School?

Newest issues

3 – 2026Small Interventions

2 – 2026Oulu

1 – 2026Housing Variations

5 – 2025New Visions

4 – 2025Modern Heritage

3 – 2026
Small Interventions

3 – 2026
Small Interventions

2 – 2026
Oulu

1 – 2026
Housing Variations

5 – 2025
New Visions

4 – 2025
Modern Heritage