Collage: November & December
The collage is a compilation of Olla’s news. In November, Olla competed among the best in the world at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore and celebrated the great progress of key projects back home. A heartfelt gratitude also arises for the past year and all the people who made it happen.
The Fennia Block competed for the title of the world’s best commercial space in Singapore
The Inside Festival is part of the World Architecture Festival, one of the most significant architecture events globally. Olla’s redesign of the Fennia Block was selected as a finalist in the Retail category, which awards the world’s best commercial spaces.
Olla’s interior architect Salla Tervo and CEO Mikko Lahikainen presented the historic block’s transformation to the jury and audience in Singapore on November 7. The Fennia Block consists of several buildings, with the oldest being over 100 years old. Despite the location in the heart of Helsinki by the Railway Square, the block had over time become an easily overlooked passageway.
Olla’s redesign restored the block’s rightful value and splendor. The central boulevard was revitalized, and two new restaurant environments were created along it: an urban market hall-inspired food court and a bright, luxurious Lafter restaurant. Accessibility and signage in the block were significantly improved, accompanied by substantial technical upgrades.
The jury particularly gave thanks for the bold and intriguing elements that were successfully integrated into the historic environment. The food court features a striking mural illustrating the block’s many phases, while the centerpiece of the Lafter restaurant is an eye-catching knot-like light fixture.
The Retail category victory ultimately went to the Tokyo flagship store of the guitar brand Fender, designed by Klein Dytham Architecture.
Bratislav Toskovic at WAF Jury: identifying award-winning innovations with wider impact
Olla’s Bratislav Toskovic participated as a judge at the World Architecture Festival, the world’s largest architecture event. Bratislav, who has been involved in significant renovation projects and was the lead designer of a WAF-winning project, evaluated competition entries in the Creative Re-Use category alongside Pacharapan Ratananakorn and Carey Lyon.
The Creative Re-Use category features projects where buildings or spaces have been creatively modified or redeveloped. This year’s category winner was a transformation of a former railway area in Winnipeg into a mixed-use entity with residential, commercial, and public spaces. The story behind the winning project was made even more compelling by the fact that the redevelopment plan had been attempted 17 times before the final design was realized.
Judging is an intensive process, with all entries in a category presented and evaluated in one day. As a judge, Bratislav is driven by the desire to highlight creative ideas and solutions with broader potential for application. “As a judge, I always aim to identify conceptual, aesthetic, or functional features in projects that transcend their physical boundaries and offer models of thinking that can be applied more generally.”
Read here what Bratislav shared about his role as a judge after the 2022 WAF.
Time for celebration in Hyrylä: the cornerstone laid for a major commercial and service center
The construction of the Särmä commercial and service center, which will significantly renew Hyrylä’s town center, reached an important milestone in November with the laying of its cornerstone. A traditional time capsule, including a newspaper from the day, was embedded in the foundation. “In many cultures, the laying of a cornerstone is a significant historical ritual. It symbolizes durability and permanence, and its placement has always been a moment of celebration and hope,” emphasized Hannu Anttonen, Group Director of the main contractor Jatke.
The six-story center will house facilities for the municipality of Tuusula, a Prisma supermarket, smaller retail spaces, and an underground parking garage. By combining essential services for residents, Särmä will offer entirely new opportunities for the municipality. Olla is responsible for the comprehensive design of the center as well as the service-design-driven project, which involves developing Tuusula’s municipal facilities and their usage and service concepts in close collaboration with the staff.
Construction began with extensive groundwork in the summer of 2024. Prior to that, the municipality of Tuusula prepared the site by demolishing the old shopping center and building municipal infrastructure. Next, the Särmä site will proceed with tasks such as element installation and roofing. The commercial and service center is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2026.
Read more about Särmä and the November festivities here (in Finnish).
New learning environment for Luovi Vocational College moves forward in Tampere
Vocational College Luovi is a specialized vocational school offering education for students requiring additional support in their studies. Olla is designing a new learning environment for Luovi on the shores of Lake Iidesjärvi in Tampere.
In November, the project reached a celebratory milestone with the laying of the cornerstone. The event featured addresses from Luovi’s principal Seija Norup, YIT’s regional director Sami Viitanen, Tampere Mayor Kalervo Kummola, and Markku Hyttinen, Executive Director of the Finnish Lung Health Association (Hengitysliitto). A time capsule containing a newspaper from the day and the event program was sealed into the cornerstone.
The new Luovi Tampere facilities focus on accessibility and the needs of diverse learners. The modern spaces will cater to students in logistics, business, and media studies, among others. The facilities are scheduled to open around the turn of the year 2025–26.
Read more about Luovi and the progress of the Tampere project here (in Finnish).
Photo: Vocational College Luovi.
The time capsule embedded in the cornerstone included items such as a newspaper and the event program.
Children’s Day at Work: building, brainstorming, and imagining a better workplace – “There should be recess like in schools”
Olla’s office was livelier than usual on November 20, as more than 30 children joined in to celebrate Children’s Day at Work. Between play and crafts, the children got to participate in urban environment planning using miniature models, explore everyday office life, and even hold their own meeting.
In their meeting, the children shared thoughts and suggestions about work life. Many expressed that when they grow up, they’d happily work in a place like Olla’s office —a space full of interesting things to explore and big televisions to use. However, they agreed that being able to go and play outside is essential—workplaces should have recess every hour, just like schools! The meeting concluded that the perks of working include money, vacations, and friends, while less enjoyable aspects are night shifts, bossy people, and back pain from too much sitting.
The purpose of Children’s Day at Work is to promote family-friendly workplaces. The day offers organizations an opportunity to hear and amplify the voices of children of various ages. At the same time, it introduces kids to working life and helps them understand how workplaces operate.
Juha Posti 1953–2024 – Olla’s former CEO was a dedicated leader, skilled architect, and inspiring colleague
In November, Olla received the sad news of the passing of our former long-time CEO and colleague, architect Juha Posti.
Juha joined Parviainen Architects as a young architecture student in 1976 and retired as a beloved and respected CEO four decades later, in 2016.
Throughout his career, Juha was involved in a wide range of projects. He was also one of the key figures who helped steer the office through the challenging recession years of the 1990s. After overcoming those difficulties, the office’s founder, Olli Parviainen, retired, and Juha took on the role of CEO in 2000. Under his leadership, the firm entered its next phase of growth, expanding into sectors such as retail, logistics, Finavia’s airport projects, and complex renovation projects like the Taivallahti Barracks Area.
In addition to architecture, photography, cycling, sailing, hiking, and gliding played significant roles in the life of the active and dynamic Juha.
Juha was laid to rest in his architecturally intriguing hometown church, Espoonlahti Church, designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen.
Olla wishes peace for the holiday season and light for the New Year!
The world around us is changing, but one thing remains the same: our belief in the power of collaboration between people. It has once again been a great honor to work on meaningful projects with visionary clients and partners. So, a heartfelt thank you for this year. We welcome 2025 with hope and excitement.
