1959 - 1964
The main public buildings of the capital city – the Academic Hall of the Finland Congress (1971), a concert hall, an opera house, a museum of fine arts, a city library and reserve buildings – were planned to be located along the western coastline of Tjole Bay.
The southern part of the triangular section of the center is reserved for a trade and administrative center with underground parking for six thousand cars. The author leaves the historical part of the city untouched and, taking into account the general trend of the city’s development to the north, designs a new public complex on the coast of the bay, creating the beginning of a linear system, provides an opportunity for the urban core to develop in parallel with the growth of the entire city. Thus, an open-type urban ensemble is formed.
The dominant feature of the center is the Finlandia congress hall complex, which consists of a universal hall for 1700 spectators, a small concert hall for 350 spectators, a restaurant for 300 seats, a foyer and service premises. The hall complex is painted with white Carrara marble, black Finnish granite, copper, wood and ceramics. The interior space is “tuned” to the sound of various musical instruments or voices during concerts and performances. The building is complemented by a panorama of a natural reservoir.