Kierre welcomes visitors to the Millennium Pavilion
09.05.2014
Winner of the architectural design competition for students at Aalto University, the Kierre entrance greets visitors to the Pavilion erected in Helsinki's Kansalaistori Square.
Students on the Wood Programme at the Department of Architecture designed and built the entrance way to the Millennium pavilion. The winning Kierre (Spiral) design showcases Finnish carpentry and the use of wood as an architectural medium. The structure was realised in collaboration with the Metsä Group.
The extravaganza organised by Technology Academy Finland (TAF) saw the over 1,500 square metre Millennium Pavilion erected as its main attraction. Students at Aalto University were then invited to build the impressive entrance way from Metsä Wood's Kerto® products and plywood. Metsä Wood also provided the steel frame that formed the base for the final structure.
‘ It's not easy to make a spiral out of wood, but the structure does a good job of conveying the possibilities afforded by modern wood architecture. Key to the realisation of challenging structures is not only the quality of the products used, but also the level of expertise at every stage of the construction process – from the design itself to the machining and assembly. Projects such as Kierre provide students with an excellent learning opportunity and a testing bed for new ways of using wood,’ remarks Professor of Wood Architecture Pekka Heikkinen
The Kierre entrance project began with a concept competition. The winning concept was then refined into the final design as a group work exercise, with particular attention paid to the structural possibilities afforded by the realisation of the Entrance. The challenge of manufacturing the entrance's components was met by the use of Metsä Wood's Kerto® products and long birch plywood sheets. Machining interconnecting wooden components is precise work and places strict demands on the materials used.
The students involved in the project come from Aalto University's Wood Programme, organised by the Department of Architecture. The programme is intended to provide students with a deeper understanding of and expertise in the use of wood as a building material. Fifteen students from ten different countries were selected for the year-long course, which is organised annually. The course saw the students become familiar with the use of forest wood and various machining methods, right up to the realisation phase of large wooden construction projects.
Source: Metsä Group/Metsä Wood
Further information:
Professor Pekka Heikkinen, Wooden Architecture Programme, Aalto University, tel. +358 (0)50 377 3786
Aalto University's Wood Programme: www.woodprogram.fi
http://kierrepavilion.wordpress.com/
http://taf.fi/tapahtumat/millennium-paviljonki/
http://kierrepavilion.wordpress.com/
http://taf.fi/tapahtumat/millennium-paviljonki/