Case Study

Revisit: Vuoranta Training Centre

Many types of intergenerational encounters define the faith of the former training centre in Vuoranta.

Essay

Urban Forest – an Object of Conflict or Care?

Urban densification is often executed at the expense of urban woodlands, which the local residents do not always like, nor is it ecologically sustainable. Interwoven problems can be solved by expanding the sphere of care to the more than human worlds.

Essay

Far from the Forest

Discussion on the architectural potential of CLT has been largely overshadowed by its positive environmental effects, writes Tuomas Siitonen.

Case Study

Erat, Still a Role Model

Bruno Erat’s ideas on sustainable construction from half a century ago are still, according to Pekka Hänninen, the best Finnish examples of ecological architecture.

Essay

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

Who was Reima Pietilä, really? Roger Connah reminisces about his long-time friend.

Case Study

Dipoli, the Oxymoron

What makes the design of the Dipoli so unique? Moisés Royo provides an in-depth analysis of Reima Pietilä’s most enigmatic project.

Phenomena

Experts in Urbanism – Rap Music Echoes with the Experiences of Young Members of Minorities

Rap music echoes with the experiences of young members of minorities regarding their lives and living environments. Music linked to neighbourhoods may open up a local perspective on urban planning – provided that the planners recognize the potential to be found within the rap scene.

Essay

How to Plan Unplanned Encounters? A Formula Explains What to Take into Account When Designing Urban Blocks

In recent decades, the perimeter block has become the go-to urban typology in Finnish urban planning and a symbol of urban life. If you take a closer look at the form, however, it does not create life around it as such. The potential lies in more subtle design choices.

Phenomena

Forgotten Vision of Helsinki City

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Helsinki city centre became a utopian, American-inspired downtown. Now the buildings from that era are under threat of demolition.