The Department of Architecture at Aalto University offers a one year intensive program focusing on wood and wooden architecture. The Wood Program explores the ecological, technical and architectural properties of wood, providing a thorough and all-round view on the whole chain of wood construction, beginning with the tree in the forest and ending up with an experimental wooden building.
The pavilion stood in Helsinki for summer 2015, between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum. Afterward, it was moved to its permanent location in the city of Tuusula, in the square opposite the town hall.
2014-2015’s special project of the Wood Program is to build a pavilion for the Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA)’s summer exhibition in the square between the Design Museum and MFA. The basic concept of the pavilion is to combine archetypal forms of garden structures with the notion of a forest within the city. The form and structure of the “forest” pavilion are provided by the bending and twisting of wood, which aims to imitate the intimate spaces found beneath the trees of a forest.
The final design and building phase of the pavilion began in January 2015. Initially we encountered many problems with the design and structure, but through continuous development, modelling, testing and prototyping, the final form of the pavilion emerged. We have worked closely with structural engineers to find the perfect balance of a rigid structure that maintains the strong identity and atmosphere of the original space.
The pavilion is due for completion at the end of May 2015 to coincide with the opening of the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s summer exhibition. “Down the Stairs to a Shady Grove” will present Finnish gardens from the 18th Century to present day, and highlight the dialogue between gardens, architecture and the natural landscape. A comprehensive summer event programme including yoga classes, lectures and picnics has also been developed in collaboration with the MFA.
May 27-August 23, 2015
Down the Stairs to a Shady Grove – Dialogues between Finnish Garden Art and Architecture
Säie Pavilion 