From Wood to Architecture
Helsinki - Museum of Finnish Architecture
10 June - 4 September 2005
From Wood to Architecture presents buildings revealing the distinctive marks of good architecture. They are carefully designed works, following the idea given to them - and listening to their own voice. They rely on the past while seeking things new. Even in their enthusiasm for innovation they do not reject the mental image of continuity that is essential for the comfort of man.
Anssi Lassila
Karsamaki Wooden Church, 2004, Finland
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Wood is the oldest building material known to man. Alongside the spread of other materials, wood remained characteristic of some areas – owing to its availability, ease of working and insulating properties. Situated in the cold northern coniferous zone, Finland is a country of building in wood.
Two-thirds of the land area of Finland are covered by forests. Timber has traditionally defined the image of the country, in both nature and the built environment. Over the past forty years, the use of wood has considerably decreased in building as a structural and cladding material.
Now new opportunities for structural use and surface treatment are restoring wood to the prominent and visible role that it used to have in the urban and rural context.
Wood is an organic material with a complete cycle, from growing forest to raw material and finally to decomposing biomass or fuel. Alongside its ecological rationality wood has a strong psychological dimension. We are all familiar with the character and essence of wood; its vivid patterns and soft touch please the senses. Amidst the artificiality surrounding our lives today, our minds are calmed by the connection with nature that wood provides. Although wood is transformed and ages as a material, its idea remains the same. In a world of rapid change, it expresses continuity and the feeling of security that is created by permanence.
The seventeen buildings presented in this exhibition employ wood in a variety of ways. Some apply completely new solutions, while others rely on tradition. Structural uses range from glued timber and laminates to solid logwork. Battens, boards, sheeting, even shingles, are used for covering and cladding purposes. The surface of wood is protected with many techniques from painting and heat treatment to natural greying. Functionally, the buildings have both public and private uses. They include cultural facilities, churches, schools, homes and leisure cabins. Common to all these buildings is confidence in the properties of wood and the desire to develop construction in wood as an integral part of our environment. For the architect, the use of wood requires an understanding of how it behaves and the recognition and acceptance of its special properties. Only respect for the material as such, with its characteristic features, can ensure the emergence of good architecture in wood. Unless wood architecture is honest, its use-life will remain brief. The design of a good wooden building is a challenge.
The greatest benefit of wooden architecture is its commitment and boundedness to time. It harks back to the past of building and, like all architecture, aims at the future. The signs of age, wear caused by man and the elements are visible in wooden architecture, as also the internal decay of the material itself. Wooden architecture is not eternal; it requires care and upkeep, which also makes it so human.
The seventeen wooden buildings, all located in Finland, presented in the exhibition "From Wood to Architecture" are as follows (architect, project name, location, year of completion):
Kimmo Lintula and Hannu Tikka:
Sibelius Hall concert and congress centre, Lahti, 2000
Kari Järvinen and Merja Nieminen:
Laajasalo church, Helsinki, 2003
Anssi Lassila:
Kärsämäki wooden church, Kärsämäki, 2004
Reijo Jallinoja:
Kierikki stone age centre, Yli-Ii, 2001
Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen:
Juminkeko centre of Carelian culture, Kuhmo, 1999
Claudia Auer and Niklas Sandås:
Department of architecture annex, Oulu, 2003
Ville Hara:
Korkeasaari lookout tower, Helsinki, 2002
Niko Sirola:
Cafe Carbon, Helsinki, 2000
Mikko Kaira:
Misteli day care centre, Vantaa, 1996
Jyrki Tasa:
House Into, Espoo, 1998
Kristian Gullichsen:
Holiday home Gullichsen, Hiittinen, 1993
Olavi Koponen:
Villa Långbo, Kemiö, 1994-2000
Erkki Kairamo and Aulikki Jylhä:
Villa Aulikki, Hiittinen, 1995-2003
Ulla Rahola:
Interior restoration of St. Olaf's Church in Tyrvää, Vammala, 2003
Matti Sanaksenaho
St. Henry's Ecumenical Art Chapel, Turku, 2005
Antti-Matti Siikala
The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu, 2004
Hannele Grönlund
Studio Silja Rantanen, Karjaa, 2001
Info:
From Wood to Architecture
Helsinki - Museum of Finnish Architecture
10 June - 4 September 2005
Kasarmikatu, 24 - 00130 Helsinki
Open ti, to - su 10 -16, ke 10 - 20
EUR 3,50 /1,70
Tel. (09) 8567 5100