Puukuokka Housing Block, Jyväskylä 2014, OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture. Photo: Mikko Auerniitty

The Finnish Architecture – Biennial Review 2016 will visit the Alvar Aalto Museum’s Gallery in Jyväskylä 25.11.2016–5.2.2017. This year, the Biennial Review highlights bold thinking and experimental architecture. Exhibits include Jyväskylä’s Puukuokka housing block – winner of the Finlandia Prize for Architecture – and the Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg – a prime example of building-restoration expertise.

It presents 15 jury-selected projects completed between July 2013 and June 2015. Three of the most accomplished projects will be spotlighted in detail: The Opinmäki School and Learning Centre (Espoo 2015), the Puukuokka Housing Block (Jyväskylä 2014) and the Serlachius Museum Gösta’s Pavilion (Mänttä 2014).

The 2016 review highlights a number of interesting new inroads in housing development. Finnish restoration expertise is also well-represented among the topical selection of projects.

The jury was chaired by Ole Bouman, an internationally renowned Dutch architecture curator, polemic commentator and founding director of Design Society, an initiative due to open in Shenzhen in 2017. His fellow jury members were Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen, senior architect in the Department of Cultural Environment Protection at the National Board of Antiquities and architect Hilla Rudanko. Expert input was provided by Helena Soimakallio from the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers.

The projects are presented through photographs, drawings and scale models. A video has also been made of each project. The exhibition was designed by architect Philip Tidwell and the videos were produced by journalist Jonni Roos and cinematographer Raimo Uunila.

The Biennial Review highlights interesting examples of contemporary Finnish design, aiming to stimulate discussion on topical themes in architecture. It is targeted at both Finnish and international audiences. Similar architectural reviews have been organized since the 1950s. Over the years they have acquired special historical value, as their content reveals the value and expectations surrounding architecture in different eras.

The review is organized by the Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Finnish Association of Architects SAFA.

The exhibition was supported by Akukon, Betoniluoma, L2 Paloturvallisuus, Wienerberger oy ab and the Helsinki Housing Production Department (ATT). The publication was produced with support from the Ministry on Employment and the Economy.

View the selected works here.
More about the Biennial Architecture Review here.

The formal exhibition opening with a conversation guide is at 13–16 on Friday 25.11.2016. 

The Finnish Architecture – Biennial Review 2016
25.11.2016–5.2.2017
Alvar Aalto Museum Gallery
Alvar Aallon katu 7, Jyväskylä, Finland
Open Tuesday–Sunday 11 am–6 pm
www.alvaraalto.fi

Further information and requests for press images, please contact:
Annukka Pakarinen
Communications, Alvar Aalto Foundation
annukka.pakarinen(at)alvaraalto.fi
tel. +358 (0)50 381 0143