Tampere is Finland’s second-largest city and is well known for its industrial heritage. A heritage that continues to grow and give back to the city, Tampere brings in a hefty amount of international investment. Where there is financial freedom, there is experimental architecture! Plans are in motion to build within the city, sustainable residential spaces, commercial hubs, and various other facilities – and firms no less than the likes of Daniel Libeskind have played their part designing the complexes. The city predicts massive expansion over the next twenty years and is building on its industrial history by developing an “Innovation Bay” to cater to more opportunities. All of this, however, is possible because of the rich architectural tradition of the country designed by the architects in Tampere.
Re-thinking The Future is a global platform for architecture and design. RTF along with our authors has curated a list of top architecture firms in various cities across the globe. Please note that the names are arranged in alphabetical order and are not ranked in any manner.
Kontukoski Architects Ltd | Architects in Tampere
Scope of services: Urban Design, Interior Design, Renovation, Project Planning, BIM, Building Design
Types of Built Projects: Residences, Hospitals, Fire Stations, Offices, Cultural Hubs, Educational Spaces
Locations of Built Projects: The majority of their projects are built across Tampere
Style of work: Very modern approach to design. Clean lines dominate the designs, while a very raw use of material brings out the character for their buildings.
Website: kontukoski.com
The firm has a very diverse portfolio and has participated in many competitions. Their renovated projects incorporate better energy-saving designs.
Architectural Firm Tähti-Set Ltd
Scope of services: Hospital Design, Healthcare Facility, Data Modelling.
Types of Built Projects: Hospitals, Offices, Cultural and Educational Centers, Parking Facilities, Sports and Exhibition Buildings
Locations of Built Projects: The majority of their projects are built in Tampere and Helsinki, while some are scattered across Finland
Style of work: Collaborative design and user-oriented. Detailed work concerning functionality, form follows the usefulness of the site and building constructed.
Website: tahti-set.com
Starting in 1933, the firm has a long history of exquisite design work. Plans that won competitions, constructing the first fully-electric building in the Nordic part of the world, Finland’s first ice rink – these are all part of the firm’s remarkable work.
Arkkitehdit A3 Oy
Scope of services: Community Planning, Building Repair, Renovation
Types of Built Projects: Offices, Educational Institutes, Residences
Locations of Built Projects: Majority based in Tampere, spread around Finland
Style of work: Focused on building green and context-specific design. Contemporary.
Website: www.a3.fi/toimisto.html
The firm is relatively younger but remains vibrant through its team of enthusiastic architects and designers. They take on students as well and keep their staff well-trained to tackle design projects in innovative ways.
Arkkitehtitoimisto Eero Lahti Oy
Scope of services: Housing, Community Service, Renovation, Land Use Organization
Types of Built Projects: Housing Buildings, Renovation Design
Locations of Built Projects: Concentrated in Western Finland
Style of work: Designing healthier ways for everyday living, a modern and tech-savvy approach to housing problems.
Website: www.aeloy.com
The firm is relatively younger but remains vibrant through its team of enthusiastic architects and designers. They take on students as well and keep their staff well-trained to tackle design projects in innovative ways.
Aihio Arkkitehdit Oy | Architects in Tampere
Scope of services: Commercial, Office Use, Residential, Urban
Types of Built Projects: Housing, Mixed Use, Offices, Urban Centers
Locations of Built Projects: Spread over Finland
Style of work: A modern approach with a very clean, elegant design. Their work explores the use of materials and glass through experimentative 3D modeling.
Website: www.aihioark.fi
More a collection of firms and talented individuals, ARCO has won several competitions and contracts due to the quality of work produced by their team.
Arkkitehtitoimisto Ahonen & Kangasvieri Oy
Scope of services: Building Design, Land Use Planning, Property Mapping
Types of Built Projects: Multi-story Mixed Use development, Energy Efficient Solar Building, Educational Institutes, Urban Housing
Locations of Built Projects: Spread over Finland, mostly in Tampere
Style of work: Very modern and sleek lines for multi-story structure design
Website: www-ark–ak-com
The firm works on many multi-story buildings, giving it expertise in the field of high-rise. Their energy-efficient designs also put them on the top firms to go for multi-story buildings.
Ark. in Arkkitehtuuritoimisto Ky
Scope of services: Architectural Design, Repair Planning, Condition Assessment
Types of Built Projects: Focused more on analyzing building efficiency and providing reports to owners/ users/ architects associated with the building in question
Locations of Built Projects: Tampere
Style of Work: Technical, Energy Efficient, and Green Building
Website: www.arkinarkkitehtuuri.fi
A firm qualified since 1994 to give well-formed assessments on the energy efficiencies of buildings either already built or in the planning and design stages.
ARKinsto
Scope of services: Land use plans, Sketch design, Architectural design, Main design and permit application (building permit, exemption permit, design needs solutions), Main drawings (layout drawing and license drawings), Special design, Construction aid, Responsible foreman (responsible master)
Types of Built Projects: Residential
Locations of Built Projects: Tampere
Style of work: Contemporary and modern, also Craftsman Style for Residential Design
Website: arkinsto.fi/#palvelut
This firm distinguishes itself with the option of sketching out the client’s design as opposed to only serving them renders according to the design statement of the architect.
Arkion Oy
Scope of services: Renovation, Residential, Small Scale Industrial, Land Use Planning
Types of Built Projects: Condominiums, Agricultural Production Buildings, Business, and Meeting Facilities
Locations of Built Projects: Pirkanmaa, but spread over Finland
Style of work: Making buildings that relate to nature but hold a certain solidity of their own. Modern.
Website: www.arkion.fi
By focusing on small-scale projects, Arkion Oy ensures a higher quality of work delivered to their clients due to the directed attention of their expertise.
Arkkitehdit LSV Oy | Architects in Tampere
Scope of services: Consulting, Interior Design, Building Design, Spatial Planning
Types of Built Projects: Educational Institutes, Residential Facilities, Offices, Exhibition Centers, Banks
Locations of Built Projects: Mostly Tampere
Style of work: Experimentative and Modern, Innovative Yet Practical.
Website: www.arkkitehditlsv.fi
Their Tampere Matrix 1 and Tampere Solaris won the land transfer competition for their futuristic design on residential living. Their interactive website is also a testament to the energy their firm carries with them.
