ALA Architects- Finnish Architecture
- Vol.36(4), April
- New Delhi Burda Media India Private Limited 2019
- 36-37p.
The current mood of architecture fraternity in Finland have more than a pinch of postmodernism, even a streak of a new classicism. Grid facades in brick are appearing in housing, planning and even public buildings. There’s a new interest in symmetry and often direct references to older surrounding buildings in overall form, fenestration or ornament. One particularly strong example of this is the Tampere Art Museum extension by Aarti, Ollila and Ristola Architects (AOR). Here, the new extension copies the shape and material of the existing museum, but as a double version, with the second copy mirrored vertically under the elevated first. This surreal architecture has the conceptual strength of Rachel Whiteread’s installations and the formal strength of an astronomical instrument from Jantar Mantar. Futudesign is using ornamental references in its crisp hotel extension. The top floor is a glazed abstraction of the old main vault of the Art Nouveau Helsinki Main Railway Station by Eliel Saarinen, but with section turned to plan. I would say this fairly serious looking, but conceptually playful architecture is the latest “trend” over here. Not that we have anything to do with it!