Celebrating Women in Architecture – The Finnish Association of Architects
Architect: Marie-José Van Hee
Award or prize received:
The Alvar Aalto Medal – The medal designed by Academician Alvar Aalto and bearing his name was founded in 1967 to honour creative architecture. The Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum, the Finnish Society of Architecture, the Association of Finnish Architects and the City of Helsinki award the internationally esteemed prize every three years.
The fifteenth Alvar Aalto Medal was awarded to Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee in August 2024. Her output covers a wide range of projects, from private houses to public spaces and cultural buildings. Van Hee’s works beautifully emphasise respect for architecture, nature and handicraft, as well as an understanding of traditional and folk building methods.
Van Hee is the first (individual) woman architect to receive the Alvar Aalto Medal.
More information here.
Architect: Taika Pirilä
Award or prize received:
The Gerda and Salomo Wuorio Prize – Named in honour of Finnish philanthropists Gerda and Salomo Wuorio, the prize is presented annually to the most outstanding Master’s thesis in architecture.
In May 2024, the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) was delighted to present Taika Pirilä with the Gerda and Salomo Wuorio Prize for the best Master’s thesis in architecture.
The transition to a circular economy is essential across all sectors, including construction, if emission targets are to be met. Building materials cannot be reused, however, unless they can be recovered intact.
An architect and graduate of Aalto University, Pirilä used her thesis to investigate deconstruction methodologies that can help to facilitate the smart and efficient reuse of building materials. Her proposed solution was applied to the design of a development in Linnanniemi, Turku, comprising a mix of residential, commercial and office properties.
More information here.
Architect: Tarja Laine
Award or prize received:
Otto-Iivari Meurman Prize – Named after renowned Finnish urban planner Otto-Iivari Meurman, the prize is presented annually to an architect or team of architects for an outstanding contribution to urban design.
The Finnish Association of Architects’ (SAFA) Otto-Iivari Meurman Prize 2024 for achievements in promoting high-quality living environments was presented to Tarja Laine, former director of planning at the City of Vantaa.
Tarja Laine established a reputation for expertise and innovation as well as commitment to public engagement during the course of her extensive career, which saw her develop wide-ranging experience in planning and urban design. She was also actively involved in the process to reform land use and planning law in Finland.
More information here.
Architect: Alusta Pavilion designed by Elina Koivisto and Maiju Suomi
Award or prize received:
The Tunnustuspaanu Award aims to foster debate on green building.
The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) has presented the Tunnustuspaanu Award to Alusta Pavilion, a labyrinthine oasis designed by Elina Koivisto and Maiju Suomi. The pavilion is intended to foster biodiversity and facilitate encounters between humans and non-humans within the urban realm.
Featuring fired brick and unfired clay along with wooden pergolas and bulk bags bursting with flowering plants, the pavilion is divided into a series of different spaces. The purpose of the pavilion’s built structures is to create habitats for insects which are sustained by the plants growing within it. Originally constructed in Helsinki’s Architecture and Design Museum courtyard, the pavilion has hosted a series of events, including debates on construction.
More information here.
