Book

A City Seen Through Colour

Aziza Lo's visual maps not only document the colours of neighborhoods but also experiencing them.

Project Review

Spirit of the 1980s

The premises of the Supreme Administrative Court have been updated to meet current needs, but the 1980s atmosphere is also very much present.

Project Review

Three Little Coloured Blocks

Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo The Kirjailijakortteli city block, located in Helsinki’s Meilahti district, is comprised of three residential buildings that play with colours and materials. Located in the centre of three streets, Mannerheiminite, Topeliuksenkatu and Stenbäckinkatu, there is a wedge-shaped plot.

Project Review

A First Step in Housing

Photo: Mika Huisman The student apartments in Korttelikylä are spacious, light-filled and well-functioning. Student housing is often associated with images of ghettos and social problems due to the high concentration of residents and a socioeconomic homogeneity.

Article

What Does the Finlandia Prize Shortlist Reveal About the Current State of Finnish Architecture?

Four new-builds and one refurbishment project are in the running for this year’s Finlandia Prize for Architecture. When it comes to architectural expression, two distinct styles are readily visible.

Project Review

Skilfully Efficient

The efficient use of space in the new Lamminrahka School Centre does not take away from the utility and natural light in the spaces.

Article

The People’s Theatre

In the 1930s, P.E. Blomstedt designed a theatre in Hakaniemi, Helsinki. Reading between the lines of an illustration drawing reveals the world view behind the design and the designer.

Article

Artwashing Demolition

Utilising to-be-demolished buildings for temporary art shows is becoming a formalized urban development practice. However, it disregards the potential of existing urban spaces and ignores the temporary use and artistic agency as vehicles for place-shaping.

Book

Parallel Cities

At times, the visions for the future made by urban planners are so enthralling that they continue to coexist as a parallel reality of sorts alongside the real, built city. This is what happened in Hirtshals, a Danish town with a population of some 5,500.