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Finlandia Forest: Pikku-Finlandia (Little-Finlandia)

Part 2 Project 2023
Jaakko Torvinen
Aalto University | Finland
"Finlandia Forest" is a design for a wooden temporary building for the event services of Finlandia Hall by Alvar Aalto during its renovation. The main idea of my proposal was to use trees as load-bearing columns while their organic shape creates a forest-like atmosphere. For me, the word Finlandia is almost synonymous with forest. The trees used in the building are pines, which are one of the national romantic symbols of Finland. We chose the trees used at the building individually from the forest. The building has a three-meter-wide colonnade of pine pillars, which creates a human-scale space towards the wide Töölönlahti Park. The rectilinear building emphasizes the shapes of the trees.

“Finlandia Forest” is my design course work, which was further developed together in a small group of students. The City of Helsinki implemented the building according to our design using new “Technical solutions” contract aiming at low building costs. I continued as an architect all the way to the completion of the building together with my student colleagues.

The Pikku-Finlandia is currently in active use and will remain in its current location until 2025, after which it will be disassembled and rebuilt in another location.

Jaakko Torvinen

Tutor(s)
Pekka Heikkinen
Pirjo Sanaksenaho
2023
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