Achievements in Finnish design brought Estlander medals to Aalto University professors
07.02.2012
The Estlander Silver Medals were awarded to Aalto University Professors Kalevi Ekman, Raimo Nikkanen and Markku Salimäki in recognition of significant achievement on behalf of Finnish design.
The award ceremony took place at the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 gala in Lahti on 2 February 2012. The gala was one of the WDC year’s signature events.
The Estlander Prize and Medal are a distinction instituted by the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design / Design Forum Finland in recognition of significant achievement on behalf of Finnish design. They are named after the Society’s founder, Professor Carl Gustaf Estlander (1834–1910), and are awarded in the spirit of his life’s work and Finnish design.
Reasons for the Silver Medals were:
“Operating in an open-minded manner that stands out from academic traditions, the recipients of the Silver Medal have implemented a cross-disciplinary program for the encounters of discourses of various disciplines to provide opportunities for a new kind of creativity. Over the course of a decade, modes of operation and realization have been shaped and continue to be, thus establishing new conditions for learning in this field. The awardees have been actively involved in creating a system combining expertise across disciplinary boundaries and significantly influencing the creation of Aalto University.
Professor Kalevi Ekman is director of the Design Factory of Aalto University. He has been successfully involved in developing several cross-disciplinary programmes aimed at bringing studies closer to the business community. Ekman was also one of the main architects of Aalto University.
Professor Raimo Nikkanen has taught for many years at the Aalto University School of Art and Design and its predecessor, training and inspiring students of industrial design to become professionals in their field. Nikkanen has a broad international network, within which he has also promoted the internationalization of the School. He is an internationally popular lecturer who has supervised students in Europe, Asia and North America.
Professor Markku Salimäki is head of the International Design Business Management programme of the Aalto University School of Economics. Since the mid-1990s he has constructed a multidisciplinary research and learning environment intensifying cooperation between design, technology and the economy, while training skilled actors for key positions in international business.”
More information from Design Forum Finland.