OpenHouseHelsinki opens the doors to the city!

What’s it like inside the Katajanokka icebreakers? How about Yrjö Kukkapuro’s Ateljee? What kind of solutions has the architect used in the new Saunalahti Children’s Home? And what can you find in the courtyards of Kruununhaka, the island of Santahamina, the old Ford car plant or hidden away in the historical buildings of the Helsinki Deaconess Institute?

OpenHouseHelsinki is part of the design capital and Helsinki Design Week programme. This event gives city residents and visitors the chance to see places that are normally closed to the public. The sites range from Alvar Aalto classics like the Stora Enso headquarters building to modern architectural attractions, such as the new headquarters of the Tapiola Group.

This year OpenHouseHelsinki is also offering walking tours to places like the charming courtyards of Kruununhaka. The Arabianranta tour focuses on artwork in the neighbourhood while the Kasarmi square and Santahamina tours offer insight into local history. The skateboarders’ Helsinki tour provides a new perspective on the city, as skateboarders present the varying urban spaces of Helsinki.

OpenHouseHelsinki tours are free of charge and do not require advance registration. The number of participants is limited for some tours for safety-related reasons. The participants for these tours will be selected on a first come, first service basis or by lottery.

The sites subject to a lottery in 2011 are the Katajanokka icebreakers and Yrjö Kukkapuro’s Ateljee. Built in the 1970s, the icebreakers Otso and Sisu assist Baltic Sea ships in all weather and ice conditions. The interiors of the vessels are labyrinthine - full of narrow staircases and corridors.

Designer Yrjö Kukkapuro’s Ateljee in Kauniainen is a loft home completed in 1969 that has served as both home and workspace for the Kukkapuro family. The building was designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro himself with Eero Paloheimo, M.Sc. (Eng.).

More information about the lottery and the event programme is available on the OpenHouseHelsinki website.