architectural firm
In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countri ...
established by Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
in 1974. Their work is characterised as a fusion between minimalism, high-technology and
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...
, typified by their design for the Vuotalo Cultural Centre in Helsinki, or the
Heureka Heureka is a Finnish science center in the Tikkurila district of Vantaa, Finland, north of Helsinki, designed by Heikkinen – Komonen Architects. It is located at the intersection of the Finnish Main Line and the river Keravanjoki.
The aim of th ...
Science Centre, in
Vantaa
Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...
with the juxtaposition of stark concrete elements against colourful high-tech metal structures and large glazed surfaces.Roger Connah, "The end of Finnish architecture, or Ciao Potemkin", Rakennustieto, Helsinki, 1994 They have also completed a number of small-scale humanitarian projects for
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, west Africa, based on local building traditions.
Main works
*
Heureka Heureka is a Finnish science center in the Tikkurila district of Vantaa, Finland, north of Helsinki, designed by Heikkinen – Komonen Architects. It is located at the intersection of the Finnish Main Line and the river Keravanjoki.
The aim of th ...
Science Centre,
Vantaa
Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...
, Finland (1989)
*
Rovaniemi Airport
Rovaniemi Airport ( fi, Rovaniemen lentoasema) is the third busiest airport in Finland, located in Rovaniemi, Finland, about north of Rovaniemi city centre. The Arctic Circle crosses the runway closer to its northern end.
History
The airpor ...
, Rovaniemi, Finland (1992) (Extension, 2000)
*
European Film College
European Film College (Danish: Den Europæiske Filmhøjskole) is a film school and a Danish folk high school in Denmark, offering 1-year film foundation programme in practical filmmaking covering the fields of screenwriting, camera, sound, acting ...
,
Ebeltoft
Ebeltoft is an old port town on the central east coast of Denmark with a population of 7,204 (1 January 2022).Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C., United States (1994)
* Elementary School, Boundou Koura, Guinea (1997)
* Elementary School, Madina Kouta, Guinea (1997)
* School for Chicken Farmers, Kindia, Guinea (1999)
* Juminkeko, the Information Centre for Kalevala and Karelian Culture, Kuhmo (1999)
* McDonald's Headquarters and restaurant, Pikku Huopalahti, Helsinki (1999)
*
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
__NOTOC__
The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) is a biology research institute located in Dresden, Germany. It was founded in 1998 and was fully operational in 2001. More than twenty research groups work in m ...
,
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
, Germany (2000)
* Vuotalo
Vuosaari
Vuosaari ( sv, Nordsjö) is a neighbourhood in the City of Helsinki, Finland. It is located by the sea in East Helsinki and with its area of is geographically the largest district in the city. It also has two Helsinki Metro stations, Rastila a ...
Culture Centre, Helsinki, Finland (2000)
* Mediacenter Lume,
Aalto University School of Art and Design
Aalto is a Finnish surname meaning "wave". Notable people with the surname include:
* Aino Aalto (1894–1949), Finnish architect and designer
* Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat
* Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), Finnish architect and desig ...
, Helsinki, Finland (2000)
* Emergency Services College,
Kuopio
Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...
, Finland (1988–2005)
* Laavu prototype house (2007)
* Hämeenlinna Regional Archive,
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...
, Finland (2010)
* Flooranaukio Housing, Helsinki (2012)
Awards
*
Heinrich Tessenow Medal
The Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal (Heinrich-Tessenow-Medaille) is an architecture award established in 1963 by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. of Hamburg in honour of Heinrich Tessenow. It is awarded by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V. "t ...
(2003)
* International Award for Innovative Technology in Architecture, 2nd prize,
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
, 1990 (Heureka)
References
* Peter Davey, "Heikkinen & Komonen", Current Architecture Catalogues, Watson-Guptill Publications, 1994.
* Roger Connah, "The end of Finnish architecture, or Ciao Potemkin", Rakennustieto, Helsinki, 1994
* Douglas E. Graf, "Heureka: Formal Analysis", Datutop 18, Tampere, 1996.
* William Morgan (ed.) plus introduction by
Juhani Pallasmaa
Juhani Uolevi Pallasmaa (born 14 September 1936 in Hämeenlinna, Finland) is a Finnish architect and former professor of architecture and dean at the Helsinki University of Technology. Among the many academic and civic positions he has held are ...
, "Heikkinen + Komonen", The Monacelli Press, New York, 2000.
Pentti Kareoja, "Local Identity - Flooranaukio Housing", ''Architectural Record'', March 2013. * "Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen, interview by Petra Čeferin", ''il Progetto'', 15/2003.
* "Locating Sacredness, interview with Markku Komonen by Ketty Brocca", ''Laboratorio'' 09 numero 7, 2009.
* Mikko Heikkinen, "Reindeer Droppings – Random Remarks on Architecture", ''Arkkitehti'' 3/2011.
* Kristo Vesikansa, Laavu prefab home, "Refined Primitive Hut", ''Arkkitehti'' 5/2007.
Gallery
File:EFCEastView.jpg, The European Film College, Ebeltoft, Denmark (1993)
File:EmbassyFinlandUS.jpg, Finnish Embassy, Washington DC, USA (1994)
File:Aalto University School of Art and Design from air.jpg, Mediacenter Lume, Aalto University, Helsinki, (2000)
File:Rovaniemi Airport March 6 2009 01.jpg, Rovaniemi Airport (2000)
File:Vuotalo.jpg, Vuotalo library and culture centre, Vuosaari, Helsinki (2000)
File:Pikku Huopalahti Helsinki Finland McDonalds.jpg, McDonald's HQ, Helsinki (1999)
File:MPI-CBG building outside pl.jpg, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany (2001)
File:Heikkinen_&_Komonen,_Laavu_House,_2007.jpg, Laavu prototype house (2007)
File:Provincial Archives of Hämeenlinna 3.jpg, Provincial Archives of Hämeenlinna (2009)
File:Flooranaukio Lontoonkuja.jpg, Flooranaukio Housing, Helsinki (2012)