140 years of architectural education in Finland: architectural education at Aalto University on a solid basis
06.09.2012
This autumn marks the 140th anniversary of the start of architectural education in Finland. The teaching started in 1872 at the Polytechnic School under the leadership of F.A. Sjöström. Together with the Helsinki University of Technology, the department became part of Aalto University in 2010. Now, 140 years on, the architectural education at Otaniemi is still founded on arts and advanced technology.
The education of architects and landscape architects at Aalto University combines the mastery of different dimensions of the environment with practical development work. Aalto University, with its Department of Architecture, is the only Finnish university offering a degree programme in landscape architecture. A large proportion of the architects working in urban planning tasks in Finland have received their training at Otaniemi.
The department has its focus on the development of architecture creating new ideas and the promotion of well-being and sustainable development in multidisciplinary cooperation. According to Antti Ahlava, Head of the Department of Architecture, Finnish architecture has a proud heritage and the department continues to update it for the future.
Architects becoming more competent
At the start of this year, two strong institutions, the Department of Architecture of the Aalto University School of Engineering and the School of Art and Design were merged into a new unit, the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The aim of the new school is to update and renew the fields concerned, while at the same time respecting traditions and taking into account skills requirements. The references to arts and design in the name of the school also refer to architecture.
The school has started extensive cooperation with architecture and engineering fields. The cooperation involves joint courses and workshops, which help future architects to prepare for the multisectoral projects in which they will take part during their careers. In the coming years, there will also be closer cooperation with business fields. A good example of the cooperation between different sectors is the WDC pavilion designed at the Department of Architecture.
According to Antti Ahlava, Head of the Department, the degree in architecture will remain a degree in technology and the architectural teaching at Otaniemi meets the qualification requirements laid down in the EU directive on professional qualifications. He also emphasises that Aalto University will continue to train top-level experts for demanding expert tasks in architecture.
Architects are facing new challenges
Many graduates still start their careers by establishing their own architects’ offices. However, at the same time, architects are also expected to be able to act as partners in multidisciplinary project teams, be familiar with changes in society and have the ability to work with new types of customers.
– Even though the boundaries between design and architecture are becoming increasingly blurred, a building is not a design object. It is also important to understand the cultural context and to keep in mind such economic considerations as the better utilisation of the existing building stock, reminds Aino Niskanen, Professor of the History of Architecture at Aalto University.
Architects will be celebrating the anniversary on 6 September at the Aalto University Department of Architecture in Otaniemi. The premises designed by Alvar Aalto will undergo renovations in the next few years. Teaching will take place in temporary premises in Miestentie at Otaniemi until 2015 when the school and the department will move to new premises at Otaniemi. The venerable premises designed by Alvar Aalto will also be used by the Department of Architecture after the completion of the new facilities as part of the joint arts teaching provided at the school.
Further information:
Head of Department Antti Ahlava
Tel. +358 50 324 1179
antti.ahlava [at] aalto [dot] fi
Professor Aino Niskanen
Tel. +358 50 575 1085
aino.niskanen [at] aalto [dot] fi