Alusta-pavilion
Basic information
Project Title
Alusta-pavilion
Full project title
Alusta Pavilion - Space for Multispecies Encounters and Environmental Discourse
Category
Reconnecting with nature
Project Description
Alusta pavilion is a biodiversity haven located in urban Helsinki. Its pollinator-friendly meadow and ecological clay constructions support the well-being of both people and nonhuman animals. Alusta is an open platform for multispecies encounters and environmental discourse. It is a built manifesto of co-existence and care, offering an affirmative example of the possibility of change towards a more socially and ecologically sustainable future.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Helsinki, Finland
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
Alusta Pavilion in Helsinki, in the courtyard of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum open from July 2022 until October 2024 is a space for re-establishing a caring relationship with nature. It is an act of repair, inviting diverse life into the urban space, and creating a safe and inviting atmosphere for interspecies encounters.
The space is formed with raw and fired clay, wood, and transient plant life. Its decaying wood blocks, porous clay structures, and pollinator-friendly plantings offer shelter and nutrition for insects and birds in a densely built urban environment. Fungi and biochar take part in caring for the soil. Flowering perennials create a calm and restorative space for people to open to different ways of being alive of the more than human community.
The pavilion is a venue for learning, and environmental discourse, both on the level of its materiality and multisensory experience, and the activities which take place there. Its materials have a low environmental impact throughout their whole lifecycle. Simple construction techniques allowed communal and educational participation throughout the process of making and caring for the space. The changing aesthetic texture of the space is shaped by the natural processes. The space is simultaneously an environmental act and its poetic representation communicating to different audiences the possibility of supporting the wellbeing of both humans and nonhuman animals. The pavilion engages people in societal discourse on our relationship with nature through direct spatial experiences, expert discussions and educational programs held in the space, and the media coverage of the project.
In the era of the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity, Alusta pavilion becomes a spatial tool for questioning human exceptionalism as a basis for making architecture. It offers a living example of a new kind of a relationship between humans and their environment, one based on mutual care and wellbeing.
The space is formed with raw and fired clay, wood, and transient plant life. Its decaying wood blocks, porous clay structures, and pollinator-friendly plantings offer shelter and nutrition for insects and birds in a densely built urban environment. Fungi and biochar take part in caring for the soil. Flowering perennials create a calm and restorative space for people to open to different ways of being alive of the more than human community.
The pavilion is a venue for learning, and environmental discourse, both on the level of its materiality and multisensory experience, and the activities which take place there. Its materials have a low environmental impact throughout their whole lifecycle. Simple construction techniques allowed communal and educational participation throughout the process of making and caring for the space. The changing aesthetic texture of the space is shaped by the natural processes. The space is simultaneously an environmental act and its poetic representation communicating to different audiences the possibility of supporting the wellbeing of both humans and nonhuman animals. The pavilion engages people in societal discourse on our relationship with nature through direct spatial experiences, expert discussions and educational programs held in the space, and the media coverage of the project.
In the era of the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity, Alusta pavilion becomes a spatial tool for questioning human exceptionalism as a basis for making architecture. It offers a living example of a new kind of a relationship between humans and their environment, one based on mutual care and wellbeing.
Key objectives for sustainability
The architectural discourse on environmental sustainability focuses on the pragmatic and quantitative qualities of construction leaving aside communication of ideas and meaning through spatial experiences. By becoming both an environmental act and its symbolic representation Alusta offers an example of holistic sustainability that speaks both on the level of reason and emotion. Alusta increases biodiversity in an urban setting, and creates free social space. It is made of materials with low environmental impact, using little fossil energy. On a cultural level Alusta questions the human-exceptionalist world view that places our species outside and above the rest of nature thus justifying the use of other lifeforms as mere resources for our wellbeing. Alusta is instead built on the intrinsic value of all life. It strives to make visible the natural processes sustaining life, while safeguarding their continuity.
To communicate the interconnectedness of our life with other living beings, Alusta explores the ecological relationality of the soil, plants, pollinators, birds, humans and natural processes of growth and decay. The plantings, decaying wood inoculated with fungi, compost soil, clay and biochar structures create wellbeing for people and non-human animals. Raw clay demonstrates possibilities for low energy, low impact construction and material reuse. Biochar elements made of pulp industry’s by-product lignin exemplify material circulation.
Through its aesthetics and location Alusta ignites societal discussion and change. The museum context allows Alusta to reach design professionals and the broader public to rethink our culture’s relationship with nature. Alusta binds together sustainable architectural education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Educational and recreational programs in the space further open questions of sustainable land and material use, creative ecologies and interbeing. Media presence reinforces the impact.
To communicate the interconnectedness of our life with other living beings, Alusta explores the ecological relationality of the soil, plants, pollinators, birds, humans and natural processes of growth and decay. The plantings, decaying wood inoculated with fungi, compost soil, clay and biochar structures create wellbeing for people and non-human animals. Raw clay demonstrates possibilities for low energy, low impact construction and material reuse. Biochar elements made of pulp industry’s by-product lignin exemplify material circulation.
Through its aesthetics and location Alusta ignites societal discussion and change. The museum context allows Alusta to reach design professionals and the broader public to rethink our culture’s relationship with nature. Alusta binds together sustainable architectural education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Educational and recreational programs in the space further open questions of sustainable land and material use, creative ecologies and interbeing. Media presence reinforces the impact.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Alusta was created as a place for experiencing nature and its interconnectedness in an urban setting where there is normally little or no contact with nature. The designers hoped to create a calm space for humans to resensitize to the different ways of existence of the nonhuman, to attune to their pace and let their ways of being alive open in and around them. The space was intended as a vehicle for these encounters and the re-evaluation of our culture’s relationship with nature.
Rethinking one's worldview and values requires a sense of safety and comfort. Alusta was designed to create wellbeing for human animals through taking into account their physical and psychological health. Simultaneously ecological interventions were planned to invite nonhuman animals to enjoy the space. To create an example of shared wellbeing, all design decisions were made considering the needs of both. Porous clay and biochar structures open passages and nesting space for insects. Their haptic materiality forms an interesting spatial experience for humans awakening the sense of touch. Flowering perennials offer nourishment for pollinators and sensory joys for people.
In Alusta, the embodied aesthetic experience of space opens through emotions in time. Sustainability is approached on the level of the imagination and creativity as well as through facts. The continuous aesthetic transformation of the space is tied to the cyclic rhythms of the more than human world. Clay erodes with water and time, plants grow, bloom and wither, fungi, algae, lichen, and moss begin to take over as time passes and moisture takes hold. Attention is guided towards other than human timescapes which sustain the liveability of the planet. Gradual changes, often too slow for human senses to observe, are enforced and made accessible for human experience. Creative ownership of the space is shared with the plants and the natural processes as nature is given an active voice in shaping the space.
Rethinking one's worldview and values requires a sense of safety and comfort. Alusta was designed to create wellbeing for human animals through taking into account their physical and psychological health. Simultaneously ecological interventions were planned to invite nonhuman animals to enjoy the space. To create an example of shared wellbeing, all design decisions were made considering the needs of both. Porous clay and biochar structures open passages and nesting space for insects. Their haptic materiality forms an interesting spatial experience for humans awakening the sense of touch. Flowering perennials offer nourishment for pollinators and sensory joys for people.
In Alusta, the embodied aesthetic experience of space opens through emotions in time. Sustainability is approached on the level of the imagination and creativity as well as through facts. The continuous aesthetic transformation of the space is tied to the cyclic rhythms of the more than human world. Clay erodes with water and time, plants grow, bloom and wither, fungi, algae, lichen, and moss begin to take over as time passes and moisture takes hold. Attention is guided towards other than human timescapes which sustain the liveability of the planet. Gradual changes, often too slow for human senses to observe, are enforced and made accessible for human experience. Creative ownership of the space is shared with the plants and the natural processes as nature is given an active voice in shaping the space.
Key objectives for inclusion
Alusta as a word in the Finnish language signifies both ‘a platform’ and ‘to begin anew’. As a project it questions existing environmentally and socially detrimental practices and strives to create positive alternatives. It functions as an open platform for environmental discourse, and a laboratory for finding new ways of practicing architecture and encountering others. It is open by its nature, not aiming at ending in a fixed point but rather explorative and expansive.
In practical terms it is a public space accessible for all, open and free. Located on the courtyard of two Helsinki museums in the center of the city, it offers a respite from urban commercial spaces and allows for anyone to come and use it as they wish. It is a sanctuary for people, pollinating insects and birds. There is sensory enjoyment and a calm atmosphere offered for anyone, as well as nutrition, shelter and water for the non-human visitors. The cultural program is also free and open for all, and organized by various stakeholders.
The process of making Alusta was based on multidisciplinary collaboration and opening educational possibilities. Working with clay construction students and architectural students the designers chose manufacturing techniques that allowed participation and offered learning opportunities that at the time were lacking from the study programs at their respective universities. Simple techniques made it possible to open the construction process for students and the local community. Rammed earth and clay brick walls were made in workshops where information on sustainable construction methods was shared. Simultaneously these affordable simple techniques offered an element of empowerment for the makers by returning agency to their own hands. Making together also became a way of establishing community and means of alternative value-creation. A sense of connectedness and well-being not tied to monetary value arose, thus combating the idea of buildings as mere commodities.
In practical terms it is a public space accessible for all, open and free. Located on the courtyard of two Helsinki museums in the center of the city, it offers a respite from urban commercial spaces and allows for anyone to come and use it as they wish. It is a sanctuary for people, pollinating insects and birds. There is sensory enjoyment and a calm atmosphere offered for anyone, as well as nutrition, shelter and water for the non-human visitors. The cultural program is also free and open for all, and organized by various stakeholders.
The process of making Alusta was based on multidisciplinary collaboration and opening educational possibilities. Working with clay construction students and architectural students the designers chose manufacturing techniques that allowed participation and offered learning opportunities that at the time were lacking from the study programs at their respective universities. Simple techniques made it possible to open the construction process for students and the local community. Rammed earth and clay brick walls were made in workshops where information on sustainable construction methods was shared. Simultaneously these affordable simple techniques offered an element of empowerment for the makers by returning agency to their own hands. Making together also became a way of establishing community and means of alternative value-creation. A sense of connectedness and well-being not tied to monetary value arose, thus combating the idea of buildings as mere commodities.
Results in relation to category
The design and construction phase of Alusta pavilion was completed in June 2022 after providing students and citizens possibilities for learning and experiences of agency for change.
The plants grew and bloomed until late fall, providing multisensory spatial experiences for humans, and nutrition and shelter to pollinating insects until their hibernation. Events were organized through the summer. In the fall, along with the rain, wind and snow, the plants withered, some still offering nutrition for winter birds. Fungi, algae and lichen joined the community. Raw clay structures eroded and changed. In the spring, first flowers appeared, providing energy for the waking insects and shelter for the offspring of small mammals and birds. The crumbled raw clay provided shelter for earthworms and ground bees and nest building material for wasps and swallows. Human participants activated, inspected changes and mended structural damage, thus forming caring relations with the place.
Alusta has become a popular meeting place. It has reached a broad audience of museum goers, local dwellers, students, children, tourists and professionals. Visitors have arrived from as far as Australia. Over 300 people have taken part in the events and hundreds of monthly visitors have enjoyed the place. Swarms of pollinators, birds and other animals have found shelter and nutrition. According to the survey of an insect researcher, a broad variety of species were found, including some rare ones, some even nesting on site which is rare in an urban setting.
Alusta was academically pre-examined as part of Maiju Suomi’s PhD thus advancing practice-led research methodology in architecture. Its learnings were shared internationally to the broad public through media, and professionally through lectures and articles by the designers.
After another yearly cycle, and another series of events, the pavilion will be disassembled in October 2024 and moved to the Aalto University Campus.
The plants grew and bloomed until late fall, providing multisensory spatial experiences for humans, and nutrition and shelter to pollinating insects until their hibernation. Events were organized through the summer. In the fall, along with the rain, wind and snow, the plants withered, some still offering nutrition for winter birds. Fungi, algae and lichen joined the community. Raw clay structures eroded and changed. In the spring, first flowers appeared, providing energy for the waking insects and shelter for the offspring of small mammals and birds. The crumbled raw clay provided shelter for earthworms and ground bees and nest building material for wasps and swallows. Human participants activated, inspected changes and mended structural damage, thus forming caring relations with the place.
Alusta has become a popular meeting place. It has reached a broad audience of museum goers, local dwellers, students, children, tourists and professionals. Visitors have arrived from as far as Australia. Over 300 people have taken part in the events and hundreds of monthly visitors have enjoyed the place. Swarms of pollinators, birds and other animals have found shelter and nutrition. According to the survey of an insect researcher, a broad variety of species were found, including some rare ones, some even nesting on site which is rare in an urban setting.
Alusta was academically pre-examined as part of Maiju Suomi’s PhD thus advancing practice-led research methodology in architecture. Its learnings were shared internationally to the broad public through media, and professionally through lectures and articles by the designers.
After another yearly cycle, and another series of events, the pavilion will be disassembled in October 2024 and moved to the Aalto University Campus.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens took part in the construction of the pavilion and learned about the material and immaterial methods used through many open clay building and planting workshops. Participants learned e.g. how to transform their outdoor areas to more pollinator friendly ones, and how to use clay in homes and gardens. Residents of a neighboring building took part in bokashi-composting activities creating soil for the plant community. As a permanent result a bokashi system was established in the building.
During years 2022 and 2023 a wide range of program has taken place at Alusta; construction workshops for students (see previous), nest building clay workshops of environmental thinking for families with young children, the results of which remain as part of the pavilion, sustainable architecture summer schools for high school students, school visits for students of different ages. Lecture and discussion program for both design professionals and the general public is described later. A series of concerts and a movie screening were also organized.
The themes of the project have been communicated to different audiences of citizens and experts through media appearances both nationally and internationally. The designers have visited e.g. the morning TV show of the Finnish national broadcasting company YLE with 250 000 daily viewers and the day radio program with 1 million daily listeners. Professional audiences have been reached through publications such as Archdaily, Dezeen, Dwell and the Finnish Architectural Review. The academic community is engaged through Suomi’s doctoral research articles, Suomi and Koivisto’s teaching as well as various presentations and articles. Alusta was also part of the program of Helsinki Design Week and Aalto University's Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition in 2022 and 2023.
Spontaneous visits of citizens activate the pavilion to its potential of offering embodied experiences of entangled multi-species existence in an urban environment.
During years 2022 and 2023 a wide range of program has taken place at Alusta; construction workshops for students (see previous), nest building clay workshops of environmental thinking for families with young children, the results of which remain as part of the pavilion, sustainable architecture summer schools for high school students, school visits for students of different ages. Lecture and discussion program for both design professionals and the general public is described later. A series of concerts and a movie screening were also organized.
The themes of the project have been communicated to different audiences of citizens and experts through media appearances both nationally and internationally. The designers have visited e.g. the morning TV show of the Finnish national broadcasting company YLE with 250 000 daily viewers and the day radio program with 1 million daily listeners. Professional audiences have been reached through publications such as Archdaily, Dezeen, Dwell and the Finnish Architectural Review. The academic community is engaged through Suomi’s doctoral research articles, Suomi and Koivisto’s teaching as well as various presentations and articles. Alusta was also part of the program of Helsinki Design Week and Aalto University's Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition in 2022 and 2023.
Spontaneous visits of citizens activate the pavilion to its potential of offering embodied experiences of entangled multi-species existence in an urban environment.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
Current sustainability discourse on architecture was broadened on three levels: the material, the aesthetic and the social. Building regulations steer architecture by limiting its negative environmental impact. Instead, Alusta makes a positive impact, regarding architecture as a tool for repairing living environments. This requires multidisciplinary collaboration with experts and local stakeholders to understand the ecological and cultural context. A building always sets itself amidst the complex lifeworld existing on site. Understanding the context allows an intervention to become an act of care, sustaining and enriching diverse life in this particular location. Architecture’s impact is also felt at the roots of its materials, as well as where they flow once released from the edifice.
Working in a research context, with funding from cultural foundations instead of a conventional client allowed a critical perspective on the values architecture today is advancing. Working on a small scale non-permanent project allowed experimentation with materials and methods. The participatory and educational aspects of the process engage the community and students, empowering people to care for their environments and to initiate reparative environmental projects in shared urban space.
The non-conventional aesthetics shaped by the needs of the more than human community instead of a sole human author suggest replacing ego-centeredness with expressing ecological relatedness. The building is seen rather as a process than a stable object. The makers and community engage in caring for it. The discursive cultural program allows exploring philosophical and practical questions on nature-culture relations.
Alusta offers a concrete example of building as an act of multispecies care. It is limited in scale but due to its high visibility and media presence its impact grows, making the architectural intervention into a vehicle for broadening societal environmental discourse.
Working in a research context, with funding from cultural foundations instead of a conventional client allowed a critical perspective on the values architecture today is advancing. Working on a small scale non-permanent project allowed experimentation with materials and methods. The participatory and educational aspects of the process engage the community and students, empowering people to care for their environments and to initiate reparative environmental projects in shared urban space.
The non-conventional aesthetics shaped by the needs of the more than human community instead of a sole human author suggest replacing ego-centeredness with expressing ecological relatedness. The building is seen rather as a process than a stable object. The makers and community engage in caring for it. The discursive cultural program allows exploring philosophical and practical questions on nature-culture relations.
Alusta offers a concrete example of building as an act of multispecies care. It is limited in scale but due to its high visibility and media presence its impact grows, making the architectural intervention into a vehicle for broadening societal environmental discourse.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
Alusta research pavilion developed through a multidisciplinary collaborative process co-ordinated by Suomi/Koivisto architects.
Ecology researchers of Helsinki University and Natural Resources Institute and a gardener acted as main advisors. The scheme of creating a pavilion to offer nutrition and shelter for pollinators is based on their knowledge on the needs of the insects and opinions on the feasibility of the plan for inviting them in. The importance of soil microbes for mutual wellbeing was emphasized. Decaying wood inoculated with fungi to support living conditions of beetles was included. Alusta is part of the Biodiversity interventions for Well-being (BIWE) research project on biodiversity and its health benefits in built areas. An insect researcher from the Finnish Museum of Natural History was invited in to study the development of species visiting Alusta.
Co-creation process took place with experts and students of several disciplines. Engineer Timo Kallio and his students at Raseko Clay Building Institute developed raw clay elements. Ceramic elements were developed with professor Nathalie Lautenbacher and students from Aalto University. Collaboration with IKI Carbon led to making a lignin based biochar art piece.
The themes of the pavilion were explored in more depth through academic discussions open for all audiences: e.g. aesthetics and sustainability with environmental philosopher Sanna Lehtinen, emotions evoked by environmental crises, and art as a path to encountering them with ecotheologist Panu Pihkala and Patrik Söderlund (IC-98 artist-duo), the relationship between humans and non-human animals with animal philosopher Elisa Aaltola, loss of biodiversity and urban design with assistant professor in landscape planning and ecology Elisa Lähde and docent of urban ecology Kati Vierikko and empathy as a pathway to sustainable architecture with associate professor of sustainable architecture Sofie Pelsmakers. Full program in appendix.
Ecology researchers of Helsinki University and Natural Resources Institute and a gardener acted as main advisors. The scheme of creating a pavilion to offer nutrition and shelter for pollinators is based on their knowledge on the needs of the insects and opinions on the feasibility of the plan for inviting them in. The importance of soil microbes for mutual wellbeing was emphasized. Decaying wood inoculated with fungi to support living conditions of beetles was included. Alusta is part of the Biodiversity interventions for Well-being (BIWE) research project on biodiversity and its health benefits in built areas. An insect researcher from the Finnish Museum of Natural History was invited in to study the development of species visiting Alusta.
Co-creation process took place with experts and students of several disciplines. Engineer Timo Kallio and his students at Raseko Clay Building Institute developed raw clay elements. Ceramic elements were developed with professor Nathalie Lautenbacher and students from Aalto University. Collaboration with IKI Carbon led to making a lignin based biochar art piece.
The themes of the pavilion were explored in more depth through academic discussions open for all audiences: e.g. aesthetics and sustainability with environmental philosopher Sanna Lehtinen, emotions evoked by environmental crises, and art as a path to encountering them with ecotheologist Panu Pihkala and Patrik Söderlund (IC-98 artist-duo), the relationship between humans and non-human animals with animal philosopher Elisa Aaltola, loss of biodiversity and urban design with assistant professor in landscape planning and ecology Elisa Lähde and docent of urban ecology Kati Vierikko and empathy as a pathway to sustainable architecture with associate professor of sustainable architecture Sofie Pelsmakers. Full program in appendix.
Methodology used
In a nutshell Alusta pavilion functions to create social change through first
initiating a participatory and educational process. Through this a shared space to create well-being for all with lesser resources is conceived. The space is activated through various open programs to deepen the discourse. Through media presence the discourse is broadened to reach new audiences. Thus Alusta pavilion exemplifies the possibility of change in values and attitudes towards our place as part of nature, and the well-being effects found in creating a symbiotic relationship with our environment.
Cultivating an attitude of care shows in the overall aim to make space for more diverse life in both a biological and cultural sense, and in how the countless connections among the different human and nonhuman actors bind us into a life-sustaining web. The process began with critical attention towards the human-exceptionalism of the design world. The choice to work with pollinating insects was based on building a concrete example of the interconnectedness of human needs with the more than human world. Pollinating insects are vital to the human food chain and ecosystem sustainability globally. And now their populations are in steep decline. There is an immediate need to acknowledge their intrinsic and extrinsic value and to act to restore their living conditions globally. With Alusta, the needs of humans and pollinating insects were explored in a shared space through collaboration with natural scientists thus creating a future vision of mutual wellbeing.
Alusta pavilion simultaneously becomes a laboratory for research, a learning environment for students, and a tool for disseminating research findings to a larger public. With its calm and inviting atmosphere Alusta offers an inspiring example of the possibility for change for students, citizens, designers and decision makers to continue the work in new locations in their own creative ways.
initiating a participatory and educational process. Through this a shared space to create well-being for all with lesser resources is conceived. The space is activated through various open programs to deepen the discourse. Through media presence the discourse is broadened to reach new audiences. Thus Alusta pavilion exemplifies the possibility of change in values and attitudes towards our place as part of nature, and the well-being effects found in creating a symbiotic relationship with our environment.
Cultivating an attitude of care shows in the overall aim to make space for more diverse life in both a biological and cultural sense, and in how the countless connections among the different human and nonhuman actors bind us into a life-sustaining web. The process began with critical attention towards the human-exceptionalism of the design world. The choice to work with pollinating insects was based on building a concrete example of the interconnectedness of human needs with the more than human world. Pollinating insects are vital to the human food chain and ecosystem sustainability globally. And now their populations are in steep decline. There is an immediate need to acknowledge their intrinsic and extrinsic value and to act to restore their living conditions globally. With Alusta, the needs of humans and pollinating insects were explored in a shared space through collaboration with natural scientists thus creating a future vision of mutual wellbeing.
Alusta pavilion simultaneously becomes a laboratory for research, a learning environment for students, and a tool for disseminating research findings to a larger public. With its calm and inviting atmosphere Alusta offers an inspiring example of the possibility for change for students, citizens, designers and decision makers to continue the work in new locations in their own creative ways.
How stakeholders are engaged
Alusta pavilion has been part of research and pedagogical activities at Aalto University, Raseko clay builder institute, Helsinki University, Biodiversity interventions for well-being (BIWE) research project as well as Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum. Nearly a hundred architecture, design, and clay builder students from some 10 countries took part in the workshops. Taking the knowledge back to their home universities through Erasmus and other exchange programs, the message of Alusta is spread internationally. Several thesis projects on the themes of Alusta have been initiated. Experts joining the discussion series also continue discussions at their home institutions including Aalto University, Helsinki University, University of Turku, Tampere University, Finnish Environment Institute and Ministry of the Environment.
Different stakeholders contributed to the programme at Alusta. Programme for various audiences was organized by both museums, Designmuseon ja Arkkitehtuurimuseon Ystävät DAMY ry, Aalto University departments of Architecture, Design and Art Education and You Tell Me-collective.
Finnish Association of Architects and Information Centre for Finnish Architecture took part in the discussions and offered venues to spread the experiences from the project to a wider professional audience.
The City of Helsinki was involved in the building permit process, schools and kindergartens have visited and learned, and local politicians joined the discussion series.
The private sector was engaged as the project was supported by companies such as Abl-Laatat, Fiskars, Ilmarinen, Kekkilä Oy, Kääpä Biotech, Rudus Oy, Stark Suomi Oy and Wienerberger Oy. Sustainable material innovations were promoted and unsustainable modes of operation were challenged in the process by the designers.
The project was funded by Kordelin foundation, The Arts Promotion Centre of Finland, Greta and William Lehtinen foundation and Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Different stakeholders contributed to the programme at Alusta. Programme for various audiences was organized by both museums, Designmuseon ja Arkkitehtuurimuseon Ystävät DAMY ry, Aalto University departments of Architecture, Design and Art Education and You Tell Me-collective.
Finnish Association of Architects and Information Centre for Finnish Architecture took part in the discussions and offered venues to spread the experiences from the project to a wider professional audience.
The City of Helsinki was involved in the building permit process, schools and kindergartens have visited and learned, and local politicians joined the discussion series.
The private sector was engaged as the project was supported by companies such as Abl-Laatat, Fiskars, Ilmarinen, Kekkilä Oy, Kääpä Biotech, Rudus Oy, Stark Suomi Oy and Wienerberger Oy. Sustainable material innovations were promoted and unsustainable modes of operation were challenged in the process by the designers.
The project was funded by Kordelin foundation, The Arts Promotion Centre of Finland, Greta and William Lehtinen foundation and Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Global challenges
Climate crises and mass extinction are global challenges which are experienced in specific localities, through the livability of those places. Alusta pavilion is a spatial inquiry into possible solutions to the loss of biodiversity in this particular setting. We are welcomed to tune ourselves to the needs of the non-human others, and to find ourselves entangled in this multi-species web of care. We then carry this attitude with us to other localities, with different challenges to be solved in their own contextual ways.
Alusta tackles loss of biodiversity, with a focus on pollinating insects by providing nutrition and shelter for them. It also lifts into focus loss of soil fertility by utilizing composting, fungi inoculation and lignin-based biochar. It offers an example of the interconnectedness of environmental issues as habitat for birds, whose populations are also on decline globally, is simultaneously created. Alusta increases well-being for both human and non-human animals. People are physically and mentally healthier when living with access to diverse natural environment.
Alusta combats climate change by utilizing low energy construction solutions and promoting material circulation. It mitigates the impact of climate change by increasing urban green infrastructure which balances temperatures and humidity, and takes part in stormwater management. It also provides a communal space for encountering emotions brought on by the environmental crises.
Alusta creates alternative joys to consumerist culture through its participatory and community building capacities. Caring for the space and its plantings brings different people together and also empowers them to make an impact elsewhere.
Alusta creates open space for learning and public discourse and thus supports democratic processes. It empowers people to take part in shaping their environment. The space itself is a beautiful example of how the initiative of individuals can grow with shared effort.
Alusta tackles loss of biodiversity, with a focus on pollinating insects by providing nutrition and shelter for them. It also lifts into focus loss of soil fertility by utilizing composting, fungi inoculation and lignin-based biochar. It offers an example of the interconnectedness of environmental issues as habitat for birds, whose populations are also on decline globally, is simultaneously created. Alusta increases well-being for both human and non-human animals. People are physically and mentally healthier when living with access to diverse natural environment.
Alusta combats climate change by utilizing low energy construction solutions and promoting material circulation. It mitigates the impact of climate change by increasing urban green infrastructure which balances temperatures and humidity, and takes part in stormwater management. It also provides a communal space for encountering emotions brought on by the environmental crises.
Alusta creates alternative joys to consumerist culture through its participatory and community building capacities. Caring for the space and its plantings brings different people together and also empowers them to make an impact elsewhere.
Alusta creates open space for learning and public discourse and thus supports democratic processes. It empowers people to take part in shaping their environment. The space itself is a beautiful example of how the initiative of individuals can grow with shared effort.
Learning transferred to other parties
Transfer of knowledge and attitudes is built into the idea of Alusta.
The pavilion as a physical entity was designed to be easily disassembled due to its temporary nature. It will be transferred to Aalto University in 2024 where it will continue to serve as a learning space. The plant community can be moved safely as they are planted in movable growbags. Eventually all materials can either be reused further or returned to the environment without harmful effects. All pollinator friendly materials, building techniques and plant selections used and developed can be replicated by professionals or individual citizens in different scales. Simple and understandable building techniques were chosen for this purpose.
Methods and the approach can be replicated, further developed and adapted to new contexts. The context of each location must be considered carefully for its environmental conditions and concerns as well as adjusting the approach to participation and inclusion accordingly. Working in the context of e.g. schools, daycare centers, hospitals, elderly care facilities, research and cultural institutions, or refugee centers would provide interesting possibilities of simultaneously strengthening community, and tackling environmental questions. A modified, permanent version of the pavilion will be realized at Kerava, Finland in collaboration with a fair for ecological construction in 2024.
Participatory principles of the design and implementation process can be followed in similar or different architectural projects. The pedagogic principles can be replicated in learning processes on different educational levels. This is supported through open access knowledge creation. Suomi shares documentation and reflection on the process through her practice-led PhD project. Learnings from the project are openly shared by the designers in academic and professional contexts. Broader audience is reached through the museums’ pedagogical staff, and media presence of the project.
The pavilion as a physical entity was designed to be easily disassembled due to its temporary nature. It will be transferred to Aalto University in 2024 where it will continue to serve as a learning space. The plant community can be moved safely as they are planted in movable growbags. Eventually all materials can either be reused further or returned to the environment without harmful effects. All pollinator friendly materials, building techniques and plant selections used and developed can be replicated by professionals or individual citizens in different scales. Simple and understandable building techniques were chosen for this purpose.
Methods and the approach can be replicated, further developed and adapted to new contexts. The context of each location must be considered carefully for its environmental conditions and concerns as well as adjusting the approach to participation and inclusion accordingly. Working in the context of e.g. schools, daycare centers, hospitals, elderly care facilities, research and cultural institutions, or refugee centers would provide interesting possibilities of simultaneously strengthening community, and tackling environmental questions. A modified, permanent version of the pavilion will be realized at Kerava, Finland in collaboration with a fair for ecological construction in 2024.
Participatory principles of the design and implementation process can be followed in similar or different architectural projects. The pedagogic principles can be replicated in learning processes on different educational levels. This is supported through open access knowledge creation. Suomi shares documentation and reflection on the process through her practice-led PhD project. Learnings from the project are openly shared by the designers in academic and professional contexts. Broader audience is reached through the museums’ pedagogical staff, and media presence of the project.
Keywords
biodiversity
environmental discourse
more than human entanglement
community building
care
