Stories

Project Review

Project Review — 22.4.2026

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.

Project Review — 27.2.2026

wooden building

Handcrafted-like finishing completes the otherwise industrial wood construction in Lagmansgården Reform School

The skilful use of wood creates the impression of architectural quality and a sense of home, writes Teemu Hirvilammi.

Project Review — 27.2.2026

The terraced apartment block in Jätkäsaari is an ambitious addition to the typology in Finland

The impact of Ambra Terraced Housing s a landmark lies in its startling monochromaticity, argues Tommy Lindgren.

Project Review — 3.12.2025

With Lieto Church, Architects Were Given a Task Not Undertaken in Finland for a Century

The renewed and extended medieval stone church of Lieto tests the most unshakable foundations of architectural heritage thinking, writes Panu Savolainen.

Project Review — 28.11.2025

schools

Red on Red

The first prize in the open competition brought the young architects a commission for a large school building in Lappeeenranta.

Project Review — 28.11.2025

educational buildings

A Lesson on Locality

A new school in the Helsinki district of Käpylä elegantly plays with architectural themes from different decades.

Project Review — 1.4.2025

The Raccoon’s Washroom

A swimming hall adapts skilfully to its diverse neighbours – a zoo and 1970s hotel.

Project Review — 1.4.2025

Echoes of the Past

The renovation of a 1970s office building utilized an exceptional amount of old building components.

Project Review — 1.4.2025

The Difficult Art of Restraint

The renovation of Finlandia Hall has sought to preserve the building’s 1970s atmosphere while avoiding the creation of a new temporal layer. Even subtle changes nevertheless pose a risk to the original architecture.

Project Review — 1.4.2025

New Lease of Life for an Architectural Gem

Myyrmäki Church, considered Juha Leiviskä’s magnus opus, underwent a major renovation in which the ambience in the most central spaces was preserved.

Project Review — 1.3.2025

A Park in a School

The large school building blends seamlessly with its park-like surrounds thanks to two wise design insights.

Project Review — 1.3.2025

A Centrepiece for an Office Campus

The Hatsinanpuisto Park features a stream that is home to endangered trout in the middle of a business block.

Project Review — 1.3.2025

Room for a Machine

The cool and stylish heating plant follows in the footsteps of modernist industrial architecture.

Project Review — 1.3.2025

Glimpse of the Sea

The apartment buildings at the edge of the Haukilahdenranta linked house district introduce a new scale to the area.