Töölönlahti Block 2018

"FINIS"

The charm of Töölönlahti street blocks is in its completing the immediate urban fabric without stealing all the attention. This urban row also shelters the park from discomfort and noise of nearby railroads, and stands as a principle spine to support existing buildings and future public developments. Block 2018 culminates the row, subsequently characterising the entire block.

The proposal is a continuation of the dualistic nature of Block 2018: a new natural terminus that gracefully complements the cityscape. Consisting of one office and two residential developments, the proposal interacts with Finlandia Hall and the adjacent park through the situation of a café pavilion.

From the office development’s pivotal south-east corner, the whole site is anchored to the urban fabric. The façade continues along the tracked perimeter northwards, eventually curving gently inwards. This subtle gesture again highlights its terminus character and also serves to direct flow towards the park.

The offices’ northern end curves inversely to partially envelop the six-storey apartment pavilion that loosely mimics the office’s edge. These unique city villas will be the most desirable apartments in Helsinki.

To the west of the office building is the other apartment pavilion that diagonally faces an entrance from the square at the end of Alvar Alto street.

The housing pavilion in the south-west corner is connected to the offices by an expansive brise-soleil along the south façade. These shading elements transform into balcony rails along the fronts of apartments. The opposite facing of the linear south façade is a curvaceous and asymmetrical park of the city.

Kilden

Kilden, a theatre and concert hall in Kristiansand, Norway, has brought together all the city’s institutions of performing arts. Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra now has a concert hall accommodating 1200 attendees. Agder Theater, a regional group, is performing in a theater with a capacity of 700. The theater hall can be transformed to accommodate opera performances to house the ensemble Opera South. In addition, there is a stage for experimental theater and a multi-purpose hall with a level floor.

Kilden produces experiences. The core of its architecture is the way the concert, theater and multi-purpose halls are serviced efficiently and without interference. The monumental abstract form of the wall of local oak, separates reality from fantasy. Passing through, the audience will move from natural landscape to the realm of performing arts. The wall allures the audience and expresses the diversity of artistic performances housed by the building as well as the power induced by their combination. The wall made of spiral overlapping boards is not only a disguised theatrical effect but a concrete tactile artifact, which also improves the acoustics of the foyer. The infinite blackness of the other facades emphasizes the spectacle of the foyer.