An architectural interpretation of Finland’s national epic emerges in Helsinki

 

Helsinki’s Seurasaari island is witnessing the culmination of an architectural and academic program as American architect Travis Price heads an international group of students building a poetic evocation of the Finnish national epic Kalevala, The Shaman’s Haven of the Kalevala, on the southern tip of the island.

 

The project is the latest chapter in a design-build expedition program known as Spirit of Place/Spirit of Design, which for 15 years has led architecture students to create meaningful monuments that echo and celebrate the most ancient cultural lyrics of a place by means of modern design. The program is steered by Price at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

 

The goal of the Spirit of Place/Spirit of Design program is to explore the design and construction of architectural forms that successfully respond to natural and cultural settings in a contemporary language of design. Environmental stewardship and cultural heritage preservation guide the methodology of research and design. The program’s overriding objective is to foster a method for design education that engages the most deeply resonant qualities of culture and the specificity of place.

 

In Helsinki, Spirit of Place/Spirit of Design blends imagery of the Finnish cultural heritage with realities of a modern-day, competitive information society. On a pristine natural site at water’s edge on Seurasaari, a museum island that honors Finnish history with buildings from past centuries, The Shaman’s Haven of the Kalevala overlooks Helsinki’s newest concentration of business and 21st century technology across the bay in Ruoholahti.

 

The team of students and local artisans build The Shaman’s Haven of the Kalevala out of Finnish wood, glass and stainless steel. They construct a small building, approximately 5m x 13m with foundations bolted on granite boulders. The building will function as a “think tank,” a meeting place for reflection and creative dialogue.

 

The dedication ceremonies, led Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen, will take place on Thursday, August 26, 2010, starting at 6 pm. The ceremonies will kick off Helsinki Design Week and coincide with Helsinki Festival.

 

An exhibition of the student design work for the The Shaman’s Haven of the Kalevala, as well as graduate student designs for a hypothetical National Museum of the Kalevala, will open on August 27 at Helsinki City Hall’s Virka Gallery. The exhibition will run through mid-September.