Finland Pavilion for Architecture Biennale 2025
Year: 2024
Location: Venice, Italy
Type: Curatorial concept
Status: Proposal
‘Looking Forward’ showcases design solutions addressing Finland's evolving environmental and demographic challenges and how architectural positivism may offer potential solutions to those problems, seeking inspiration in the precedents of ‘Finnish minimalism’ of the 1950s.
The exhibition visualizes the imminent impact of climate change, notably the projected rise in sea levels along Finland's coastline of up to 50 centimeters by 2100, inviting visitors to ascend the ramp to the corresponding elevation of +50 cm. This elevation poses significant implications for Finnish architecture, necessitating adaptive measures for the built environment. Furthermore, Finland's aging population presents unique challenges for architecture and urban design. With statistics projecting a significant increase in the population of senior citizens, the demand for inclusive environments grows. Architects are tasked with designing for the aging population, adapting existing living and social spaces to support health, independence, and integration.
The curved ramp divides the layout of the pavilion interior into two areas: space for exhibition and space for reflection. The interior and exterior of the pavilion are united with a layer of gravel, creating a seamless and accessible transition between inside and outside. The ramp serves as a symbolic representation of the evolving design agenda, visually articulating two different design concerns (aging population and sea level rise) and underscores the necessity for innovative and resilient solutions. The ramp also provides an immediate experience of ascending to +50 cm, where the approximation of the roof structure and its visual closeness becomes inevitable, revealing an example of brilliant architectural solutions, such as the Aino and Alvar Aalto‘s wooden roof lantern structure: inventive and crafted with minimal means.
Original photograph: © Ugo Carmeni / Archinfo 2022
