University of Helsinki
This post is also available in: Finnish
The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) will award the first ever Finlandia Prize for Architecture in autumn 2014.
The four shortlisted candidates for the prize, three of which are located in Finland and one in Poland, are the Serlachius Museum’s Gösta’s Pavilion in Mänttä; Kaisa House, the main library of the University of Helsinki; the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw; and Seinäjoki main library Apila.
Kaisa House is the main library of the University of Helsinki, housing the collections of the humanities, law, theology, and political science. The library was opened to the public in September 2012, as part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.
The building was designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects. According to the pre-selection jury, the library building tackles the challenging design brief superbly: it both serves as a signature building and continues the existing urban block structure.
The winner of the prize will be selected by Sixten Korkman, Professor of Practice in Economics at the Aalto University. The winner will be announced at an event to be held in November.