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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.”
— The Guardian
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. View full entry
The Japanese retailer MUJI, known for their minimalist home furnishings and micro-apartment designs, has designed an autonomous vehicle. Teaming up with Sensible 4, a Finnish startup working on weatherproof technology for autonomous vehicles, the two companies have collaborated on a sleek new... View full entry
Considered one of Alvar Aalto's most important works, it came as little surprise that news of a Finnish district's plan to sell the architect's Paimio Sanatorium was met with shock and attempts at appeal. Architects from the Finnish Association of Architects formed the Pro Paimio Committee and... View full entry
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 Guardian
"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... View full entry
Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium in Finland is now for sale. Currently owned by the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, the district has announced its plans to sell the building by fall of 2018. The bidding period will end on August 23. Paimio Sanatorium by Alvar Aalto, 1933, located in... View full entry
Lahdelma & Mahalmäki Architects have unveiled Requiem, their competition proposal for the Museum for the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, St. Petersburg. The project was undertaken in partnership with Ralph Appelbaum Associates who, together, formed the only international team amongst the four... View full entry
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... View full entry
The ninth annual Spotlight Prize has been awarded to the Finnish firm OOPEAA. The award, given by the Rice Design Alliance—a non-profit program connected to Rice's School of Architecture—celebrates the work of emerging architects from the U.S. and abroad. Eligible candidates must be within... View full entry
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... View full entry
Finland is the only European country where homelessness has decreased in recent years. At the end of 2015 the number of single homeless people was for the first time under 7,000 and this number includes people living temporarily with friends and relatives, who constitute 80% of all homeless people [...]
The main explanation for this success is quite simple: when the national programme started housing first was adopted as a mainstream national homelessness policy.
— the Guardian
The housing first model is quite simple: when people are homeless, you give them housing first – a stable home, rather than progressing them through several levels of temporary and transitional accommodation.In related news:How 4 US cities are applying architectural solutions to... View full entry
“This is the end of the matter, we have ruled out state funding (for Guggenheim) once and for all, for this government, we are not opposed to the project as such, we just don’t think it is something that the state should participate in.” — Hyperallergic
"Champions of the Guggenheim Helsinki don’t plan on giving up. The Guggenheim Foundation said it will continue talks with the government and the city to find other funding options. But without the state’s help, plans for the outpost could now be dead in the water: at an expected cost of... View full entry
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... View full entry
Turku University of Applied Sciences has received a grant of 70,417 euros to see if hemp could be used more in construction projects.
The research will involve investigating the soundproofing and fireproof properties of the substance.
Researchers will also look at how hemp decomposes and to see how it could be used as fertilizer - in order to determine how eco-friendly hemp's waste materials are.
— YLE News
The article is careful to note that hemp has far less THC than marijuana and is therefore not a psychoactive substance (obviously) – but the news still feels topical. Hemp has been used for centuries for ropes, oils and textiles. But marijuana criminalization efforts in the 20th centuries... View full entry
Fittingly for Furniture February, Alvar Aalto would have turned 118 this month, which has prompted Archinect to celebrate his paradigm-defining designs. We're not the only ones: the existing Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland will be getting an extension (the winners of the... View full entry
In China each year, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival features both buildings and sculptures constructed entirely of ice and snow, which are augmented with nighttime illumination. Here are a few highlights from this year's festival: China doesn't have a lockdown on spectacular ice and snow... View full entry
