Architecture Corner

Following on from our 'And the winner will be...' and 'Stirling Stirling' posts recently I can now announce that 100% of you who took part in the Hölynpöly poll were wrong. As anyone who didn't glaze over when the A-work appeared in the title probably knows already, Accordia won - so well done Architects: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios/Alison Brooks Architects/Macreanor Lavington and client Countryside Properties.  Undoubtedly a cut above your typical UK residential development.

silikkamarkkinat: sea and land 'marketecture'

Yesterday, on another grey and drizzly day, and on our way to Silikkamarkkinat (that's the annual baltic herring market at Kaupatori), we went and had a look at the exhibition of 104 competition entries for the Finnish pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010.  This was won by JKMM's 'Kirnu' entry.  Lewism has already made a good point regarding the question of how relevant these Expo's really are to international architectural thinking these days.  What interests me is how JKMM (who amazingly also got 3rd prize for another entry - actually I maybe preferred that entry) seem to have cracked the competition 'code' in Finland, with an amazing hit rate of wins, runner-ups and mentions.  Don't get me wrong, I think with the quality of their built work (e.g. Vikki church) and their design proposals, show obvious talent and hard work, so their projects deserve the success they are getting - but their envious competitors must be wondering how to compete... so it would also be interesting to see them up against big international names: Foster, Hadid, H&M (that's the architects not the clothes store...), OMA, etc.  

Having been involved in an open RIBA competition winning scheme in the past (in the end unbuilt despite getting planning permission and 95% of funding), I also can't help being equally envious at how many of these competition wins translate into built buildings that seem to meet the aspirations of the competition entry. Maybe one day I'll get my chance.