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
Matti Sanaksenaho (b. 1966) is a practising architect and professor of contemporary architecture at the University of Oulu. He is a partner at Sanaksenaho Arkkitehdit Oy alongside Professor Pirjo Sanaksenaho. Sanaksenaho graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology with a degree in architecture in 1993.
Over the course of his career, Sanaksenaho has held a range of positions within the industry, including as a jury member for design competitions both at home and internationally. He has lectured and exhibited widely in Europe, China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Matti Sanaksenaho’s work has been recognised with numerous international awards, and he has won design competitions both in Finland and further afield.
His most high profile works include the Finnish pavilion at the Seville World Expo in 1992 (with Ryhmä MONARK), Empty Space in Saarijärvi (1993), Vaasa student hub (1997), Iittala store concept for flagship stores in Helsinki and Stockholm (2000), Tammimäki House, Espoo (2001), St Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel, Turku (2005), Laavu holiday property, Utsulevi, Lapland (2006), Villa Boathouse Nanjing, China (2012), Student health centre, Töölö, Helsinki (2012), Talo K, Espoo (2015), Villa Hiltunen, Lake Saimaa (2024) and Villa Niri, Taivassalo (2024).
Kirsi Korhonen (b. 1958) runs her own architectural studio, Arkkitehdit Kirsi Korhonen ja Mika Penttinen. In her practice, she specialises in residential property design as well as complex refurbishment projects with an interest in interior and living environment design and the development of new residential typologies.
Many of her projects have been won through design competitions and a number have been featured in print. Korhonen’s practice has received the City of Helsinki’s Rakentamisen Ruusu prize for their achievements in detached home design and the Betonijulkisivupalkinto for an accomplished concrete facade design (As Oy Helsingin Lontoonkatu 9).
In the course of her career, Korhonen has served on numerous design competition juries and served in both elected and expert roles, including on the Finnish Architecture biennial review board 2020 and as an expert advisor to Espoo and Helsinki local authority architectural and urban design committees.
Miia-Liina Tommila runs Arkkitehdit Tommila, her own architectural practice, in Helsinki and is an active member of the Uusi Kaupunki collective. She is also a founding partner at Kaleidescope, a Norwegian-Finnish joint venture. Tommila graduated from the Bergen School of Architecture in 2011. The school’s influence is apparent in her dialogue-based and humane professional ethos and her design approach which foregrounds both environmental and social sustainability. Miia-Liina’s work as an architect involves strategy, urban planning and circular economy-informed building design.
Tommila’s designs have been included in a five-year review at Norway’s National Museum, appeared at the Finnish Architecture and Design Museum, chosen for the EXPO2100 research project and exhibition series and beem shown at a variety of exhibitions in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Italy. She has participated successfully in a number of design competitions, the latest of which is the Katrineberg sustainable village in Vantaa. Tommila Arkkitehdit’s design for the Arabia Culture Campus in Helsinki has been featured in a number of publications.
Miia-Liina Tommila is active in a number of industry bodies and associations and has sat on prize juries. She has served as a visiting lecturer at the Bergen School of Architecture and at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and she frequently gives talks in Finland and other Nordic countries. During her previous career as a classical musician, Miia-Liina Tommila was awarded the Fredrik Pacius prize.
Panu Savolainen PhD (b. 1983) is an architect and academic from Turku. Since 2020, he has worked as an assistant professor of architectural history and conservation at Aalto University in Helsinki.
Prior to his appointment, Savolainen held a number of industry roles, most recently at Livady. He has also held doctoral and post doc posts and worked as a lecturer at the University of Turku and at Åbo Akademi. Savolainen’s scholarly focus is medieval and 18th century archaeological history and building archaeology. His thesis (2017) examined 17th century concepts of private and public space.