The the three members of the Pre-Selection Jury and its Chair are appointed by the Executive Board of the Finnish Association of Architects. The Pre-selecton Jury proposes 3-5 candidates, among which the Juror selects the winner of the Prize. The members of the Pre-Selection Jury are appointed for two terms.
Chairperson of the Pre-selection Jury
Janne Pihlajaniemi (b.1970), architect, D.Sc. (Tech.), is Professor of Architecture at Oulu School of Architecture. He is also a partner in M3 Architects, together with Kari Nykänen and Henrika Pihlajaniemi. Since 2000, M3 Architects have worked on a wide range of projects, from building design and urban planning to lighting design. Janne Pihlajaniemi’s main works include St Andreas Church in Oulu (2004), the Metsola children’s home (2007) and Talvikangas school (2016). He has served on the juries of architectural competitions and holds several positions of trust, including the vice-chairmanship of SAFA in 2007–2008, and as a representative of Finnish schools of architecture on collaborative Nordic and EU bodies.
Architect and Artist Professor Sari Nieminen has designed schools and day-care centres that have featured in many publications and exhibitions. Her main works include Sakarinmäki school (Sipoo, 2005, FLN Architects), a school extension (Helsinki, 2014), an extension to Puistokoulu school (Jyväskylä, 2010) and the Ranta nursery (Helsinki, 1999). Nieminen has taught both architecture and interior architecture. She has won prizes in numerous competitions.
She has also served as a jury member for many architectural competitions and as an expert, and in positions of trust, for example, as a deputy member of the Copyright Council under the Ministry of Education and Culture, Member of the Administrative Board of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the editorial board of the Finnish Architectural Review and an advisor for the Architectural Design Sub-committee of the City of Helsinki Building Control.
Hannu Huttunen (b. 1958) has served as Professor of Housing Design at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture at Aalto University and is a partner in ARK-House arkkitehdit Oy. He has also submitted many successful entries to general and invited design competitions. Huttunen received the Rose of Construction Award of Helsinki City in 2000 (Vikki Info Centre); the State Prize for Architecture in 2002 (ARK-House arkkitehdit); and the Concrete Facade Award in 2007 (As Oy Helsingin Arabianvillat).
Huttunen holds a number of positions of trust in Finland, being a member of the Executive Board of the Finnish Association of Architects, an expert member of the Helsinki City Construction Planning Commission and a member of the National Council of Architecture. Huttunen has also served as the Finnish representative on the European Commission advisory committee on degrees in architecture and in other expert positions in the field of architecture, including as a member of the judging panels of almost 30 design competitions.
Janne Teräsvirta (1975) is a Helsinki-based architect. Janne works at a practice titled &’ which he founded in 2016 with Emmi Keskisarja. &’ has worked with cultural building design as well as development of timber structures, sculpture, and artistic research. Additional focus is in developing design methodology. Preceding this Janne worked 10 years as founding partner at Ala Architects ltd, where most notable works are Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand, Lappeenranta theatre and the new Helsinki Central library (under construction). Janne has lectured in Finland and abroad, and has been visiting professor in the Chinese University in Hong Kong, CEDIM Monterrey in Mexico, and Columbia University in New York, among other places.