Article

Making Finland Visible – A Response to Rainer Mahlamäki

Finnish architecture arouses interest around the world as long as it is actively promoted in various media, writes Wolfgang Jean Stock.

Article

What Did We Learn from the Previous Building Boom?

For the past couple of years, housebuilding has been stagnant across Finland. Homes built during the boom years that preceded the downturn have come under sustained criticism for their poor quality. What should the industry do differently when construction activity picks up again? We asked five architects to share their solutions.

Article

Unique, Personalised and Urban Housing

When an architect or client sets out to build a multistorey residential building for their own use, the end result is often more intriguing than what is typically generated through ordinary housing production – for example, a home base for a theatrical community or a combination of a private home and an editorial office for an architectural journal.

Article

Towards Housing Design for Shared Living

Shared living challenges the established principles of what is considered good housing design.

Article

On the Power of Communal Living

When it comes to communal living, our differences can foster a reciprocal relationship, where no one is there to purely provide or receive support.

Article

Concept: Conviviality – “Convivial Spaces Draw People Into Encountering One Another”

While a community is typically based on a given shared purpose or interest, social interaction in general can also be centred around the simple objective of enjoying each other’s company. This is illustrated by the concept of conviviality, says Katja Maununaho.

Article

A Realized Social Utopia

19th-century France and the small town of Guise, about 200 kilometres north of Paris, offer inspiration for concepts of more communal living.

Article

A Carpet’s Many Patterns

Between a detached house and an apartment building there is room for more diverse building typologies that both save space for nature and offer a detached house-like living experience.

Article

“Museum that is appropriate for the location” and a “plan full of risks” – Experts share their opinions on the shortlisted proposals for the new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki

The finalists in the international architecture competition for the new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki were published last December. The museum will be located in Makasiinranta, with its plans already developed into a draft local detailed plan based on the competition organised in 2022. We asked five architects for their opinion about the designs.