Collage: August
Collage is a monthly roundup of Olla’s news. In August, the spotlight was on the completion of the extended primary school in Oulunkylä, Olla’s designers’ success in a circular economy innovation competition for wood products, inventive reuse solutions at Ilmalanlinna, and high-quality visualizations.
Extension and renovation of Oulunkylä Primary School completed: the end result is a children’s campus continuing the story of the original architecture
Oulunkylä Primary School has been expanded into a children’s campus of nearly 10,000 square meters, doubling the school’s original size. As a result, the significantly enlarged primary school is now connected with a new kindergarten. The original school from the late 1950s was extended with respect for the old: the new wings continue the red-brick architecture and its clear window rhythm.
The playful, meandering form of the extension was guided by the arrangement of outdoor areas: the building bends toward the schoolyard, opening a natural play yard for the kindergarten and connecting it with the surrounding nature. The large extension was deliberately divided into smaller volumes to highlight the dominance of the original main building.
The project was carried out in two phases. First, the extension was built, serving partly as a temporary space during the renovation of the main building. The school remained in operation throughout the entire project, which required meticulous planning for both construction and use of the facilities. For example, the new sports hall built as part of the extension temporarily served as a dining hall before the full complex was completed.
A product series developed by Olla’s designers advances in circular economy wood innovation competition
An innovation challenge organized by the Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster Program, the Finnish Woodworking Industries Federation, and the Viikki Wood & Forest Innovation Hub seeks new solutions for circularity in wood and wood products. Olla’s interior architects Kaisa Eriksson and Tea Ellala advanced to the competition final with a product series for interior construction that utilizes side streams of CLT, cross-laminated timber.
The series designed by Eriksson and Ellala is both aesthetically engaging and versatile. It consists of surface finishes and partition solutions that highlight the visual qualities of cross-laminated timber.
Read more about the inspiring product series developed by Olla’s designers here.
New reference: Ilmalanlinna restaurant renewed with smart reuse of existing elements
Ilmalanlinna is an impressive office complex of five buildings in Helsinki’s Ilmala district. Buildings A–C were completed in 2015, and two additional buildings were added in 2023.
The restaurant in Building A, opened eleven years ago, needed an update to meet today’s needs. Before the renewal, the space felt typical of its era: more like a canteen than a restaurant, with a bright yet somewhat clinical atmosphere. The goal of the renovation was to create a warmer, more inviting environment that could better serve a large customer base.
The transformation was achieved by skillfully reusing existing elements and avoiding unnecessary demolition. The result is a restaurant that looks completely renewed and functions significantly better, while many original furnishings and materials continue their service life.
Read more about the restaurant’s renewal here.
High-quality visualizations as a core part of Olla’s expertise
Asunto Oy Kurkiranta Lakeview is a lakeside residential development designed by Olla for EKE-Rakennus. The sixteen apartments of varying sizes combine high-quality architecture with exceptional connections to nature, including the shared lakeside sauna available to residents.
In addition to designing the three residential buildings and their common areas, Olla was also responsible for creating the project’s marketing visualizations. Visualization is an essential part of Olla’s expertise. Renderings are produced for a wide range of purposes, serving both as a key element in the design process and as a means of communicating design ideas.
Beyond high-quality renderings, Olla’s visualization specialists also create virtual models that open new ways to explore unbuilt spaces and develop their architecture further. Read here the thoughts of Olla’s 3D graphical artist Jyri Jernström on the possibilities of VR in an architectural office.
Browse the visualizations of Asunto Oy Kurkiranta Lakeview
