Description & credits

The project is situated north of the Helsinki city centre on the axis of Steven Holl´s new art museum and Finlandia Hall by Alvar Alto. The site serves as a wedge between the natural park landscape with the Olympic Stadium to the east and the residential urban fabric to the west.

The stadium raises the architectural fabric from the ground datum to leave behind an extensive space which has the capacity to accommodate a wide variety of functions and events and which absorbs contingent relations to the physical surroundings. Three layered and continuous topological surfaces are installed, which enable a free circulatory exchange between each other as well as with the existing surroundings.

The configuration of all the program requirement apart from the those involving players and audience related to events, is laid out on the lower topological surface. This surface folds down to meet the ground in seven locations and provides access for audience, players, and the required services. The audience seats, VIP and press boxes are situated on the Second Topological Surface. A total of 8000 people can be seated in irregularly formed groups whose basic outline follow the topography. The clustered groups of seats become naturally situated on the topological surface in order to facilitate an experiential tension between the individual and the collective. The roof of the arena makes up the third and upmost topological surface.

The design for this project commences with the digital manipulation of a 2D graphic space, which is grafted onto the site and developed into a 3D spatial construct. Numerical fields are derived from the graft that guide and control the deformation of the material surfaces of the project, while regulating flows of activities on the surfaces.

CREDITS

Principal Architects
Kivi Sotamaa & Johan Bettum

Design Team

Markus Holmsten
Lasse Wager
Bonsak Schieldrop

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