Archinect - News

This mass timber sauna in Finland appears as a natural extension of its rocky surroundings

2024-09-23T18:34:00-04:00

On an island within the Finnish archipelago, a sleek, pebble-shaped sauna seems to delicately balance atop a small rock formation. Called Kivi Sauna, the structure was designed by Helsinki-based design and architecture studio Sotamaa.

Image courtesy of Sotamaa

The firm’s design process was guided by a desire to foster a deep connection between the sauna and its surrounding environment, which is defined by the sea and the island’s stark rock landscapes.

Image courtesy of Sotamaa

The sauna was constructed with mass timber, specifically Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) sourced from Finnish forests. Its interior features vast CLT sheets, while its exterior is crafted from milled CLT panels. Between these layers lies a sturdy timber frame. The structure’s exterior is clad in Leadax, a waterproof membrane derived from recycled car windows, which functions as a sustainable replacement for traditional lead roofing. The material’s gray hue echoes the colors and reflections of the surrounding rocks ...

Steven Holl winds up Helsinki with Meander Housing design

2024-09-18T17:28:00-04:00

Steven Holl Architects, in collaboration with Newil&Bau, has opened a new multifamily development in Finland's capital called Meander Housing. The September 12th inauguration marks the end of a journey that first began in 2006 and underwent a period of dormancy before being constructed in just 2.5 years.

Image: Jenny Kallio

Helsinki’s Taivallahti Bay provides the backdrop to the 115-unit building that was recuperated from a former military barracks in the city’s Taka-Töölö district.

Image: © Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy

Holl designed the project as though building equivalent to a musical crescendo, with its 180 meter (591 foot) central volume tapering in section oriented to the ocean and fluctuating at various heights between two and seven floors.

Image: © Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy

Accordingly, it weaves or 'meanders' along a stem-winding path interspersed with strategically placed landscaped voids and wrapped in a glazed enclosure.

Image: Jenny Kallio

The wood materials used in its construction...

As the threat of war mounts, Finland’s high-tech bomb shelter system lies ready and waiting

2022-04-26T18:23:00-04:00

As Finland mulls its possible entry into NATO, residents can feel a sense of safety thanks to the decades-old network of more than 54,000 bomb shelters mandated by the country’s Rescue Act, which requires any currently in-use buildings with a floor area of at least 1,200 square meters (12,900 square feet) to include such facilities.

A total of 85% of the shelters are operated privately, with most serving more practical peacetime roles as sports centers, shopping malls, and in some cases parking garages. The country’s past preparedness for other emergency situations paid considerable dividends at the outset of the pandemic, but Finnish civil defense officials maintain they aren’t looking forward to a system-wide litmus from the Russian military anytime soon.

“It’s sad to see what is happening in Ukraine,” Tomi Rask, a safety instructor at the civil defense cente...

A new study finds that multi-storied buildings made of wood sell for nearly 9% more than other construction in Helsinki

2021-05-24T18:04:00-04:00

A new study out of Aalto University in Finland shows that building with wood can be economically feasible. The research team analyzed statistical data from real estate sales in the Finnish capital of Helsinki and two suburbs between the years of 1999 and 2018. Of these, timber-built homes made up 2.23% of cases. The findings reveal that multi-storied buildings made from wood sold for an average 8.85% more than those made from other materials.

The study derives from the challenge of increasing urbanization and the need to meet the demand for new residential developments. Simultaneously, the building and construction industry is accountable for nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Program. As cities across the world set ambitious carbon neutrality goals, finding ways to meet this demand while cutting construction emissions is extremely important. One approach and challenge is to use more environmentally friendly materials as m...

"Housing First" policies help Finland rein in homelessness

2020-01-13T19:56:00-05:00

In Finland, the number of homeless people has decreased significantly. The reason: The country applies the "Housing First" concept. Those affected receive - without prerequisite - a small apartment and advice. 4 out of 5 affected people create the path to a stable life. And: It is cheaper for the state than homelessness.

While local and federal governing bodies across the country have tried to implement plans to "end homelessness" with little in terms of success, something seems to be working in Finland.

According to a report by Kathrin Glöse of Kontrast, "in 2008 the Finnish government adopted a new policy for the homeless: it implemented the 'Housing First' concept. Since then, the number of people affected has dropped sharply."

For those unfamiliar with the "Housing First" concept, Glöse summarizes the policy: "[Housing First] reverses the traditional homeless help. It is often the case that those affected are expected to find a job and free themselves from mental problems or addictions. Only then will there be help in finding an apartment."

She continues, "'Housing first', on the other hand, is the other way around: homeless people get an apartment - without a requirement. Social workers help with applications for social benefits and are the contact for problems. In this new, secure starting po...

Helsinki-based JKMM announced winner of National Museum of Finland Design Competition

2019-12-05T17:41:00-05:00

The proposal, entitled "Atlas," designed by JKMM Architects, was selected for 1st place out of 185 entries. The project was in response to a two-stage anonymous design competition for the extension of the National Museum of Finland, which was organized by The Finnish Heritage Agency, the National Museum of Finland, Senate Properties.

Ariel view

Interior view

Building on the existing museum which opened in 1916 and was designed by the Finnish architecture firm Gesellius, Lindgren, and Saarinen, the 2019 competition brief called for additional exhibition space; workshops; a new restaurant in the museum's underused enclosed garden; and improved access including a new entrance for the Museum.

"Our entry, Atlas, reinforces our interest in how architecture can enable a sense of solidarity and belonging to a place," said JKMM founding partner Samuli Miettinen about the design approach. "The National Museum is a place that belongs to everyone and anyone in Finland and we thought its extensio...

How should cities brand themselves? A new initiative in Helsinki challenges this idea

2019-09-30T23:00:00-04:00

Is a city a brand? Recently in Helsenki a new marketing campaign has launched positioning the Finnish capital a "City as Service" or CaaS. According to this new "digital lifestyle subscription service" the aim for the initiative is to attract highly skilled tech professionals to the city.

According to their website CaaS is "an an all-inclusive service bundle that unlocks the entire city. This platform-to-be is on a mission to motivate, guide and help international tech talent feel at home in Helsinki." Positioning the mayor of Helsinki as a "CEO" their website provides a fascinating video highlighting what the city as to offer, in addition to a "free life-changing demo experience that everyone can apply to.

Those chosen to participate in the program will win a three-day trip to Helsinki in November and attend Slush, the "world's leading tech event."

What are your thoughts on this city branding idea? In an era where digital marketing is considered a must-have for businesses to gr...

Homelessness in Finland is falling. What is it doing right?

2019-06-05T15:34:00-04:00

Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally [...] “We had to get rid of the night shelters and short-term hostels we still had back then. They had a very long history in Finland, and everyone could see they were not getting people out of homelessness. We decided to reverse the assumptions.”

Meanwhile in the U.S., major cities that have seen an influx of new wealth, such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles, continue to struggle in their fights against extreme poverty and homelessness despite allocating increased funding.

Amos Rex, Helsinki's new underground (literally) art museum, to open this week

2018-08-28T18:29:00-04:00

In a vast expanse beneath the Finnish capital lies a soaring circus-top culture hub. Will the €50m Amos Rex art museum put the city at the forefront of Europe’s art scene? [...] “It is as if the museum didn’t quite agree to go underground,” says Asmo Jaaksi of local architecture firm JKMM, which masterminded the project, “and it’s somehow bubbling up into the square.”

"The architects hope their sloping landscape will become a spontaneous auditorium for outdoor concerts and events," architecture and design critic for The Guardian, Oliver Wainright, writes, "but even without any performances it has already become a magnet of activity in the middle of the city, whose oversized squares often feel a bit windswept."

Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo

Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects open Easton, a New Home for Local Food and Social Culture in Helsinki

2017-10-26T13:45:00-04:00

Easton Helsinki, a shopping centre by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki in Itäkeskus, Helsinki, opened its doors to the public today. The 66,000m2 development is the first phase in a larger urban plan and looks to celebrate the identity and culture of Helsinki’s eastern districts. The project idealistically and physically centres itself around food, bringing together local vendors and businesses at the heart of the shopping centre; at the same time introducing in a much more varied commercial programme around this. Whilst become a beacon to those on the motorway, the shopping centre takes a much more calm approach when viewed from the street, with its gently undulating façade of ceramic tiles taking on the local red-brick aesthetic and sitting comfortably within the urban scale.

Easton offers 30,000 m2 of commercial floor space which is set to bring 40 businesses into the area, with the emphasis being put on healthy foods and creating an everyday social atmosphere around this. The more varied co...

Moreau Kusunoki, winners of Guggenheim Helsinki competition, respond to rejected plans: "an extraordinary adventure despite the disappointing result"

2016-12-02T18:26:00-05:00

Now that Helsinki's city council has rejected the latest round of financing plans for the Guggenheim outpost, it appears that the winning design by Moreau Kusunoki most certainly won't be built. We reached out to the architects for comment, and they provided the following statement:

Guggenheim Helsinki was an extraordinary adventure despite the disappointing result of the vote from the City Council of Helsinki.

The reflections we had in conceiving the 21th-century museum in Helsinki were thought-provoking and revelatory, such as the participatory and social dimensions of the museum, the studies on in-between spaces and flexible use, and the use of charred-wood cladding.

This journey was also an opportunity to meet exceptional professionals, whose commitment to promoting art and architecture we deeply admire.

We are confident that this project represents a stepping stone and the possibility of an exciting future for our firm and for the field of architecture. It encourages new thoughts ...

Guggenheim Helsinki plans nixed by city, citing "the project’s excessive cost for the Finnish taxpayer"

2016-12-01T13:24:00-05:00

The mix of private and public funding for the Guggenheim Helsinki has officially been rejected in a city council vote, meaning that the plans for the museum designed by Moreau & Kusunoki are unlikely to ever be built. A new financing plan that drew the bulk of public funding from the city and the rest from private fundraising had been approved by the city board in November, but was vetoed by the larger city council last night. According to The New York Times, Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in New York, said about the vote that “I suppose that it was a reaction to a sense of engulfing internationalism, or a reaction against globalism. That’s how I’m explaining it to myself.”

Meanwhile, Helsinki City Council member and Guggenheim opposer Osku Pajamaki said that “I’m exhausted but relieved. Instead of buying a subsidiary of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, we can now focus on creating unique local cultural attractions in Helsinki.”

Offici...

One last chance for the Guggenheim Helsinki

2016-11-07T14:13:00-05:00

Earlier this year, news broke that the Finnish government had vetoed plans for the Guggenheim Helsinki Museum, a controversial satellite of the famed New York institution. Now, a new proposal has been prepared by the City government and the museum’s support foundation, which will be presented to the City for a final vote on the fate of the project.

The Guggenheim Helsinki was first proposed in 2011 but was voted down by the City of Helsinki in 2012. Afterwards, the Guggenheim Foundation prepared a new proposal and helped organize a massive design competition—one of the largest ever. The relatively-unknown studio Moreau Kusunoki Architectes won the competition.

According to estimates, the museum would cost around €130 million. The new plan proposes that the City of Helsinki would finance the majority of the costs, around €80 million, while the Supporting Foundation would put in €15 million. The rest would come from private sources, which already are said to have reached unprecedented l...

Finnish government pulls funding for the Guggenheim Helsinki

2016-09-08T13:16:00-04:00

The Guggenheim Foundation's Helsinki museum, the design of which was chosen after a hotly anticipated competition last year, is now missing a major financial backer, namely, the government of Finland. Prior to its withdrawal, Finland was going to pick up construction costs and a portion of the operating fees in exchange for top-tier artworks and exhibitions from the Guggenheim.

However, this pull-out isn't entirely unexpected. Before the winning design by Moreau Kusunoki Architectes was even chosen, there were rumblings of dissent: many in Finland felt that the Guggenheim was becoming a bland franchise, to the point that an alternative competition, "The Next Helsinki," was launched to solicit other designs. As Sampo Terho, parliamentary head of the Finns Party, said, “This is the end of the matter, we have ruled out state funding (for Guggenheim) once and for all, for this government.”

Listen to our interview with Moreau Kusunoki Architectes about their winning design for the Guggen...

Kalasatama, Finland goes carless (and yes, there's an app for that)

2016-03-17T14:21:00-04:00

Abandoned commercial port turned progressive inner city district of Helsinki Kalasatama is being developed purposefully to test out new urban ways of being. First up for this pioneering zone: a Mobility-as-a-Service app, which is basically the Nordic version of Uber except it wants to integrate all forms of public transit into one app. It's currently being tested by fifteen car-free citizens with the hope of making the entire district a non-vehicular-ownership zone by 2030.

Next up for the district, according to a press release: "a sharing economy app that allows residents to trade services; apps developed from data produced by sensors for remote monitoring of street waste containers; and novel sensors that monitor the expiration of foods, intended to reduce food waste." The more residents who want to participate in these test programs, the better: although the current population is hovering around 2,000, city leaders expect it to grow to 20,000 in the next fourteen years.

Hot Work in the Summertime: From Helsinki to London to NYC, Archinect Sessions #35

2015-06-25T17:20:00-04:00

Lots of summer blockbuster news to discuss on this week's podcast. The winner of the Helsinki Guggenheim competition was announced (a young husband-wife firm from Paris took the cake), SelgasCano's "psychedelic chrysalis" Serpentine Pavilion opened, and Andres Jaque's COSMO for MoMA PS1's "Warm Up" began its water cycle. And while not quite blockbusting, in what could easily be the premise for a Vincent Price flick, residents of the blighted Robin Hood Gardens dared Lord Rogers to spend a night in their quarters.

Special guests Quilian Riano and Peggy Deamer of The Architecture Lobby join our news discussion this week, dropping their excellent and incisive commentary on ethical practice into every topic. We are collaborating with the Lobby to measure satisfaction with work-life balance in architecture – take the 3-question survey here.

Listen to episode thirty-five of Archinect Sessions, "Hot Work in the Summertime":

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button bel...

Who are Helsinki Guggenheim winners Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki?

2015-06-25T09:33:00-04:00

Before yesterday's announcement that Moreau Kusunoki Architectes had won the highly contentious and big-budget Guggenheim Helsinki competition, the firm wasn't much used to the spotlight. Querying Google Trends for "Moreau Kusunoki" preceding the Guggenheim news, the firm barely blips twice since the husband-wife duo, Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki, began their practice in 2011. Before now, the highest instance of search traffic was in December of 2014, when the six finalists for the competition were announced. Their website's "info" section currently includes only contact information.

After having won such a high-profile competition, the firm had to make some kind of statement of its architectural perspective, and revealed that their media silence was highly intentional, as "architecture is best conceived in reserve and introspection, which are favorable to the emergence of poetic visions." Or at least so states their firm bio, released as part of the press packet for the Guggen...

A black museum for "The White City of the North": Moreau Kusunoki Architectes selected to design Guggenheim Helsinki

2015-06-23T13:29:00-04:00

One year and 1,715 entries later, the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition has selected Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki Architectes as the grand-prize winners today for their design, "Art in the City". In recent years, the Foundation's plans for building a new Guggenheim in Helsinki prompted lively debate among local residents and architects worldwide alike, including the launch of the Next Helsinki counter-competition that wondered whether Helsinki even needs a Guggenheim Museum.

But just like the whirlwind of discussions around the project, the competition itself is just as memorable: Stage One reeled in an astounding 1,715 anonymously submitted entries from around the world last fall, attracting a variety of designs ranging from the safer-yet-promising to the bolder-but-downright wacky. By the start of Stage Two this past January, only six teams – whose team names remained unidentified – made the cut. Over the following months, each finalist team received additional briefing to deve...

Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong talks Helsinki, Abu Dhabi, New York

2015-06-16T17:15:00-04:00

We spoke to Richard Armstrong, the director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, on the eve of the exhibition Guggenheim Helsinki Now: Six Finalist Designs Unveiled at the Kunsthalle Helsinki [...] So the Guggenheim Helsinki will really happen? Come June we will say which architect seems best for the job; then there has to be a vote in city council again [...]. So there are still a few legislative hurdles ahead, but I would predict yes. It’s irresistible.

Did you submit one of the record-shattering 1,715 entries to the Guggenheim Helsinki competition and think it's worth presenting to the wider Archinect audience? Check out the related Archinect Project Collections list to see other user contributions and learn how to get yours listed, too.

Get a glimpse of the Guggenheim Helsinki Stage Two finalist proposals

2015-04-27T20:33:00-04:00

The big announcement of the winning Guggenheim Helsinki concept is only weeks away, so start making those predictions now. In the meantime, the Stage Two proposals of the six finalists have been revealed.

Throughout Stage Two, the teams worked on further developing their initial concepts for final submission. On that note, the finalist teams are AGPS Architecture Ltd. (Zurich, Switzerland; Los Angeles, USA); Asif Khan Ltd. (London, United Kingdom); Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (New York, USA; Barcelona, Spain; Sydney, Australia); Haas Cook Zemmrich STUDIO2050 (Stuttgart, Germany); Moreau Kusunoki Architectes (Paris, France); and SMAR Architecture Studio (Madrid, Spain; Western Australia).

Although the teams have been named, they'll remain unmatched to their Guggenheim Helsinki proposals until the winning announcement in June. Check out the proposals below:

↓ GH-121371443 (concept boards)

↓ GH-76091181

↓ GH-5631681770

↓ GH-5059206475

↓ GH-1128435973

↓ GH-04380895

This past January,...

The Next Helsinki shortlist demonstrates that a new Guggenheim isn't the only option

2015-04-21T18:02:00-04:00

The controversy surrounding the Guggenheim Helsinki has made the project a hot topic in recent years. While the large response to the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition is already widely known, is a new Guggenheim Museum truly what Helsinki needs? This is the burning question of The Next Helsinki counter-competition organizers, who describe the Guggenheim franchise as "the cultural equivalent of Starbucks". Organized by Checkpoint Helsinki, Terreform and G.U.L.F. (Global Ultra Luxury Faction), architects, designers, urbanists, and environmentalists worldwide submitted their alternative ideas on how the site can be transformed to best meet Helsinki's cultural, spatial, and sustainability needs.

The call for ideas drew in 217 international entries from 40 countries on five continents, according to architect Michael Sorkin, who chaired the jury. In the end, the jury shortlisted eight entries they deemed as outstanding ideas -- which are not necessarily refined and final proposals. (...

2015 Alvar Aalto Medal awarded to Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano

2015-02-03T14:45:00-05:00

Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano of Spanish practice Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos were announced as the recipients of the 2015 Alvar Aalto Medal. First awarded in 1967 and designed by Alvar Aalto himself, The Alvar Aalto Medal is given to individuals in recognition for their significant architectural achievements. Nieto and Sobejano were announced as the winners of the twelfth Medal today during an Architecture Day seminar at Helsinki City Hall.

Previous winners include Portuguese architect Paulo David (2012) and Danish practice Tegnestuen Vandkunsten (2009).

Collaborators since the early 1980s, it's no question that Nieto and Sobejano have built up a diverse portfolio, although their most recognizable works are museums and galleries. In addition to running their 40-employee firm Nieto Sobejano Architects in Madrid and Berlin, both architects also lecture at the European University of Madrid and the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Nieto and Sobejano's work has been exhibited at...

Guggenheim Helsinki finalists begin last leg of the competition

2015-01-12T02:00:00-05:00

The six Guggenheim Helsinki finalists shortlisted early last month will begin Stage Two of the highly debated competition with a visit to the museum site in Helsinki from January 14-16 as they start further development on their current proposals for final submission this April.

The names of the finalists have been revealed, but will not be matched to their proposals until the winner is announced in June 2015. The winning team will receive a prize of €100,000 (approx. US$136,000), while each runner-up will receive €55,000 (approx. US$75,000)

The finalists are:

AGPS Architecture Ltd. (Zurich, Switzerland; Los Angeles, USA)
Asif Khan Ltd. (London, United Kingdom)
Fake Industries Architectural Agonism (New York, USA; Barcelona, Spain; Sydney, Australia)
Haas Cook Zemmrich STUDIO2050 (Stuttgart, Germany)
Moreau Kusunoki Architectes (Paris, France)
SMAR Architecture Studio (Madrid, Spain; Western Australia)

During the two-day visit, finalists will meet with the competition jury and Guggenheim Foun...

Archinect Project Collections presents your Guggenheim Helsinki proposals!

2014-12-30T19:37:00-05:00

One of 2014's most popular news item was the announcement of Stage One of the not uncontroversial Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition.

With a mind-boggling pool of over 1,700 Stage One entries (and one Idaho potato) from 77 countries, it's tough to grant each proposal an appropriate platform and audience — so we created a new exciting Archinect feature: Project Collections!

Over the past few weeks, many of you had already followed our call to share your own submissions as project posts directly on your Archinect people or firm profiles, and Project Collections has them now all accessible in one handy Guggenheim Helsinki list.

Haven't submitted your entry yet? Worry not — the collection is an ongoing effort and new matches are constantly being added to the list.

TO SHARE YOUR GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI SUBMISSION:

Simply submit your entries as project posts to your Archinect profile. Don't have a profile yet? Click here if you're a firm, or here if you're an individual.

We're adding entries t...

What do you think of the Guggenheim Helsinki Stage One entries?

2014-10-22T19:25:00-04:00

Stage One of the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition reeled in a whopping 1,715 entries from 77 countries. Although the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation officially launched the competition this past summer, the idea of proposing a new Guggenheim Museum for the city of Helsinki has already stirred plenty of debate...Most of the entries received were from the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and of course, Finland.

We picked out a few fairly promising submissions and more, uh, interesting ones.

Check out more of our picks and other details on Bustler.

The Next Helsinki counter-competition launches in response to Guggenheim Helsinki controversy

2014-09-09T21:07:00-04:00

On the same day that Stage One of the Guggenheim Helsinki competition will conclude, The Next Helsinki is launching their own international call for alternative solutions to attract the best ideas that they believe would better meet the needs and enhance the city of Helsinki, Finland. Launched by a group of independent arts organizations and chaired by Michael Sorkin, The Next Helsinki bluntly addresses the controversy that the Guggenheim Helsinki competition has sparked [...].

Below is The Next Helsinki announcement:

"Coinciding with the end of the official competition for the design of the controversial Guggenheim Helsinki, a group of independent arts organizations has issued a call for submissions for alternative ideas. This competition—titled The Next Helsinki—is designed to attract innovative ideas about how to more fully meet the city’s cultural, spatial, and sustainability needs.

Following the success of the Guggenheim Bilbao in transforming that region’s tourist economy, many city managers have been seduced by the fantasy that a high-concept museum, designed by a starchitect, will turn around its urban fortunes in a similar way. Advocates of this branding formula see Helsinki as an ideal candidate for a new Guggenheim franchise. Yet the proposal has generated a surprisingly heated public debate among Finland’s citizenry, with pro and anti-Guggenheim sentiment running high.

The Next Helsinki competition aims to elevate the debate by giving voice to b...

Helsinki's ambitious plan to make car ownership pointless in 10 years

2014-07-21T14:44:00-04:00

[Helsinki] has announced plans to transform its existing public transport network into a comprehensive, point-to-point "mobility on demand" system by 2025 ... allowing people to purchase mobility in real time, straight from their smartphones. [...] Subscribers would specify an origin and a destination, and ... the app would then function as both journey planner and universal payment platform, knitting everything from driverless cars and nimble little buses to shared bikes and ferries

Where apps and mass transit collide, commuters struggle most with coordination. Now, with so many different forms of transit, both public and privately mediated, commuters (and cities) need navigation tools that compare all options for them. Making this as accessible as possible, as Helsinki is trying to do, also eases the transition away from private-car ownership, by making all types of transportations options seem just as imminently accessible as your car in the driveway.

The U.S. is also experimenting with these "point-to-point", "mobility on demand" transit systems. Bridj, a new bus company in Boston, doesn't actually own buses but will create routes, nearly in real-time, based on rider's mobility data, and then contract actual bus companies to get people where they need to go.

Helsinki Divided on Plan for a Guggenheim Satellite

2014-07-15T13:12:00-04:00

City boosters in this Nordic capital dream of a Guggenheim museum of Finnish wood rising near the Baltic Sea and one day drawing millions of tourists and cruise passengers. But the huge costs of the proposed development are stirring a backlash here against an institution that is ordinarily accustomed to eager suitors.

Previously: Helsinki city council reserves plot for Guggenheim

Department of State and Finnish officials dedicate renovated U.S. Embassy in Helsinki

2014-04-30T20:35:00-04:00

U.S. Department of State, OBO, and local Finnish officials hosted the dedication ceremony for the new campus of the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland today. Located in the same 3-acre site since the 1930s in the Kaivopuisto District in downtown Helsinki, the $114 million project had Moore Ruble Yudell of Santa Monica, CA as design architect; PAGE of Arlington, VA as architect of record; and BL Harbert International LLC from Birmingham for construction.

Started in November 2011, the three-phase project consisted of renovating existing spaces and adding new facilities to enrich the campus. The transformation of the existing office annex into the new Innovation Center finished in January 2013 while completion of the new chancery in phase two happened this past February. If all continues to go well, the existing chancery and ambassador's residence will be renovated by this December.

Finnish cultural references in the new Embassy's aesthetics include the permanent art collection and the ne...

How Helsinki mashed up “open data” with regionalism

2014-04-29T15:27:00-04:00

For more than a century, [Helsinki] has funded its own statistics bureaus to keep data on the population, businesses, building permits, and most other things you can think of. [...] Helsinki and three of its neighboring cities are now banding together... Through an entity called Helsinki Region Infoshare, they are bringing together their data so that a fuller picture of the metro area can come into view.

As city governments become stronger drivers of infrastructural change, and the idea of a "connected city" becomes imminent, cities must learn how to manage and wield the vast amount of data collected. Parallel developments in city demographics, creating stronger links between cities within a larger region, means that more people are contributing to and relying on that data. Making it comprehensive and accessible to all is the obvious (and necessary) next step.

To access data for both Helsinki and its greater regional area, check out City of Helsinki Urban Facts and the Helsinki Region Infoshare (both websites in English).

Related: A survey released earlier this month ranks U.S. cities on how accessible their data is, whether or not they have an open data policy. Perhaps not surprisingly, San Francisco is ranked as #1.