The Juror, nominated by the Executive Board of the Finnish Association of Architects, is a public figure who is a recognised expert in an area other than architecture. The winner is selected from a shortlist of projects chosen by the Pre-Selection Jury.
Kuva: Antti Partanen
Dr Tapio Luoma has served as Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland since 2018. In this role, he is responsible for chairing the church’s highest decision-making bodies: the Bishops’ Conference, the General Synod and the Church Council.
The Archbishop also manages the church’s international relations as well as oversees ecumenical links with other churches and religions. He is also the public face of the church and an active and influential participant in public debate. Although the Archbishop is one Bishop among many, he is also recognised as the primus inter pares, the first among equals. The Archbishop’s seat is in the southwestern city of Turku.
Tapio Luoma was ordained in 1987. He holds a PhD in Theology, having completed a dissertation on the relationship between theology and the natural sciences.
Prior to his election as Archbishop, Dr Luoma worked as Deacon, and later as Chaplain, in Peräseinäjoki from 1987 until 1998, as Chaplain in Ilmajoki from 1998 to 2002 and as a Parish Priest in Seinäjoki between 2002 and 2012. He served as Lapua Diocese’s cathedral chapter representative from 2001 to 2007 and as Dean of the Etelä-Pohjanmaa Deanery from 2010 to 2012. From 2012 until 2018, he served as Bishop of Espoo. He was elevated to the General Synod in 2008. In 2000, his work was recognised with the title of Pastor of the Year. Luoma and his wife have three adult children and six grandchildren.
Tapio Luoma has a podcast titled Arkkipiispan talossa (At Home with the Archbishop) where he and his guests, high-profile Finnish public figures, discuss their values and beliefs. During his tenure, Dr Luoma has made several public statements highlighting the impact of public spending cuts on people living in poverty and voiced his support for taxpayer-funded, independent media.
As Archbishop, Dr Luoma has also called for an end to the ban on same-sex marriage in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. In his free time, the Archbishop is a keen singer.
Meander Housing
As you step from an ordinary Helsinki street into the Meander courtyard, you are in for a surprise. The secluded space hides a building that can only be described as massive in every sense of the word. Efficient use has been made of every available square metre here. A narrow end facade at the southern end of the development welcomes visitors and invites them to gradually take in this step-free structure’s immense proportions.
Meander’s unique, serpentine footprint repeats in the front door handles, reflecting the shape’s potential to serve as a visual identity for the development as a whole. The ground floor acts almost as a pedestal on which the rest of the building rests, lightly and effortlessly. The courtyard facade, a blend of wood, concrete and glass, blends in with the well-appointed outdoor areas.
Internally, the spacious corridors with plenty of natural light bring a sense of airy brightness. Upon entering the homes themselves, the visitor’s attention is immediately drawn to the abundance of light as well as the convenient access to the glazed balconies.
Great care has been taken with the communal facilities, an excellent example of which is the building’s cinema room. These amenities reflect the deverloper’s commitment to promoting a sense of community here.
Vuosaari Bioenergy Heating Plant
How do you go about building a power station that, despite its enormous scale, blends effortlessly into its surroundings. And how do you lend clearly articulated form to a large-scale development?
For an answer to both these questions you could do worse than to look to the Vuosaari Bioenergy Heating Plant. The plant’s beautifully linear boiler house is home to a complex assemblage of pipes, corridors and steel structures.
Externally, it is clad in aluminium throughout. The apertures cut into these elements allow in a surprising amount of natural light. In the morning and evening, sunlight dances beautifully on the sleek surfaces. A stand-alone fuel store is reminiscent of a medieval church. The link is not only an aesthetic one, after all, both of these structures are about energy.
The pale grey exteriors extend indoors. It is immediately apparent that the structural solutions here have been determined by the needs of the boiler and the technology that supports it. Staff access this extended height building via stairs and walkways, which give off an appearance of dependable solidity and safety.
Landscaping has been a particular priority here. As you approach this enormous power plant from the city centre, it is an umissable visual element in the horizon but the earthworks here have delivered a series of green terraces that conceal the expanse of concrete and soften the industrial look of the place.
Finland Hall renovation
One of the most iconic examples of Finnish modernism has recently undergone an extensive renovation. Interestingly, the changes made here are not immediately apparent, even to a viewer that has visited previously, but a closer look soon reveals what is new.
The building is now more accessible than in its earlier iteration and lends itself to a broader range of uses, including overnight stays. Overall, the finish is light, colourful and fresh.
The objective has been to create a welcoming, lounge-style space that makes this prestigious architectural gem a more inclusive and easygoing place to visit while remaining faithful to Alvar Aalto’s original vision and paying homage to its unique status within Finland’s architectural heritage.
Katajanokan Laituri
This white timber structure, complete with expansive windows and arching, curved shapes, is an arresting sight against the stone, brick and concrete buildings that flank it.
As you approach the front door, the extent of just how special this building is, becomes even clearer, and yet, the real surprise is hidden within. The soaring timber structures above the open-plan foyer create a truly one-of-a-kind atmosphere here that invites you to take a moment to sit down on the large circular bench obligingly provided for visitors.
It is almost impossible not to allow your eye to wander and trace all the wood upwards towards the enormous skylight, the light from which mingles with the light flooding in from the countless windows lower down.
Katajanokan Laituri marries two distinct functions, which I had not previously considered an obvious paring. The presence of Stora Enso’s head office within a building the company commissioned and whose expertise it ideally reflects makes complete sense.
The Sokos hotel in the other half of the building offers guests a chance to stay in a truly unique setting surrounded by the best of Finnish design and enlivened by touches of Finnish nature. The presence of the natural world is particularly palpable up on the roof terrace. Filled with colourful plants, this space is the ideal vantage point from which to view the Finnish capital below. The building throughout is characterised by a sense of openness. In fact, far from being the exclusive preserve of Stora Enso staff and hotel visitors, it welcomes all comers.
Katajanokan Laituri succeeds in delivering a truly new and unique spatial experience. The windows that ceaselessly encircle the facade and the skylight blur the distinction between inside and outside. The walls and roof do not just offer protection from the elements, they also invite interaction with the world beyond.
In places, the abundant use of wood makes it feel as if you are walking through a forest. The building may have been created for office and hotel purposes but, from time to time, it succeeds in transporting you to another dimension altogether.
In terms of its form and aesthetic, Katajanokan Laituri aligns seamlessly with the previous, Alvar Aalto-designed and much debated, Stora Enso HQ nearby, thereby cementing the older building’s status as an inextricable part of the Katajanokka silhouette. This is just one of the ways in which Katajanokan Laituri has succeeded in making an exceptional addition to Helsinki’s urban fabric. It is also a potent display of the potential and variety offered by Finland’s wood construction industry.
Based on the above, I have chosen Katajanokan Laituri as the winner of the 2025 Finlandia Prize for Architecture.