EventsBuilding Togetherness

Building Togetherness

Juho Grönholm

ALA Architects, Helsinki

Event from
27 October
2022

Event

Topic

ALA Architects specializes in demanding cultural buildings, unique renovation projects and transportation architecture.

One of their award winning projects is the new Helsinki central library Oodi which opened in December 2018. The building consists almost entirely of public spaces and offers a wide selection of services. The building is a highly functional addition to local urban life. It offers a technically and spatially flexible framework for cutting edge, adaptable library operations, and acts as the citizens’ common living room and work space.

 

Juho Grönholm

Co-Founder and Partner Juho Grönholm holds a master’s degree in architecture from Helsinki University of Technology. He has 25 years of professional experience in designing large public buildings in Finland and abroad.

 

Work

ALA Architects are run by three of the co-founding partners: Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki and Samuli Woolston, and employs a team of 42 architects, interior designers, students and staff members, representing 14 different nationalities.
In addition to the daily office work, the partners have also taught advanced studios in public building design in Finland, as well as at two North American universities: Columbia University and Washington University in St. Louis. They have received numerous prizes and awards, including the Pietilä Award for Young Architects in 2008 and the Finnish State Prize for Architecture in 2012.

ALA’s most recent completed projects are the new main entrance of Helsinki Airport, three stations along the western extension of the Helsinki area metro line, Saukonlaituri parking facility, Courtyard Tampere City hotel, Helsinki Central Library
Oodi, and the renovation of the Finnish embassy in New Delhi.

The firm is currently working on such projects as Event Centre Satama in Kotka, Learning Centre La Ruche just outside Lyon, the expansion of the Estonian Business School in Tallinn, Espoo City Theatre, an R&D building for Nokia, as well as the renovations of the residence of the Finnish ambassador in Copenhagen and the
Finnish Institute in Rome.

Photos lecture © Astrid Eckert
Oodi Helsinki Library © Tuomas Uusheimo
Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand © Tuomas Uusheimo
Helsinki Airport, Terminal 2 © Tuomas Uusheimo
Satama Event Centre © Tuomas Uusheimo