Finnish Architecture - Getting it right

Architect Alva Aalto's Finlandia Hall still looks stylish even at 43 years old. My first  impression was that it looked very ordinary, however, later,  I realised that it looks ordinary because it has been so widely imitated and there are Finlandia Hall lookalikes everywhere including both the Wellington and Christchurch town halls.

Right next door is a brand new orchestral  concert hall, appropriately, but obviously called the Sibelius Hall.





























Even more extraordinary is the Church In The Rock. The foundations for the church were begun in 1939, but the construction was halted by the war. It wasn't until the mid 1960s that the plans were revived and this time the scale was much more modest due to budget restrictions.

As the site was a raised granite mound in a city square, the winning plans were for a church partially underground. Originally the bare rock was to be covered but as rock improves the acoustic values, the walls were left exposed.

The result is extraordinary and the church is the second most popular tourist site in Helsinki. It is very difficult to just put a finger on what makes this church magically, but you can see that it really affects people. No doubt it is a spiritual experience for some people, but for most it is an amazing contemplative space.   People just sit there just thinking. A small group of Japanese affected by the atmosphere all bowed before the altar.

My feeling it is the simplicity of the bare, solid and ancient granite that gives this place the unique feel.