Suomi Seven: an exhibition at Frankfurt DAM celebrates young architecture talent from Finland

Performing Arts Centre Kilden, Kristiansand, Norway by ALA Architects.

(Image credit: Tuomas Uusheimo)

last updated 14 October 2022

An engaging snapshot of young Finnish architecture talent is currently on show at Frankfurt's Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). The German institution has teamed up with the Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA) and the Architecture Information Centre Finland for 'Suomi Seven: Emerging Architects from Finland', an exhibition marking the Nordic country's presence as guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year.

The nation is known for its system of open competitions that allows emerging architects to showcase work and go head-to-head with seasoned practices for the country's most lucrative architecture projects. This has given many young architects the chance to build an impressive body of work in the early stages of their career.

Curated by Peter Cachola Schmal and Anna Scheuermann of DAM and MFA director Juulia Kauste, the exhibition is a careful selection of firms that have similarly built an internationally acclaimed portfolio - despite their young age. Participating practices ALA Architects, Anttinen Oiva Architects, Avanto Architects, Esa Ruskeepää Architects, OOPEAA, Architects Rudanko + Kankkunen and Verstas Architects have all been distinguished for their exciting work that ranges from cultural to residential and education projects.

Explains Schmal, 'Together with Juulia Kauste, I sought out talented and young architectural studios that have indeed created astonishing and major projects under their own name, and where the architects are this side of 40, something which sadly is hardly to be encountered back home in Germany any more.'

Running until early 2015 and accompanied by a book, the show launched with a symposium last week discussing further the work of Finland's finest young architecture stars.

Kaisa House, Helsinki University Library, Helsinki — Kaisa House, Helsinki University Library

New Cemetery Chapel of the Church of St Lawrence, Vantaa by — New Cemetery Chapel of the Church of St Lawrence

Kuokkala Church, Jväskylä by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture.

Sra Pou School, Sra Pou, Cambodia by Architects Rudanko — Sra Pou School, Sra Pou, Cambodia

Saunalahti School, Espoo by Verstas Architects.

ADDRESS

Deutsches Architekturmuseum
Schaumainkai 43
60596 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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