Dipoli - on a cold snowy day...
So after the 'wood day' in Lahti's timber-y Sibelius Hall last year we now had 'concrete day' last Thursday in the appropriately concrete-y Dipoli, on the TKK/Aalto university Oteniemi campus, designed by the Pietilä's in early-mid 60's. Dipoli, with it's crystalline, acute cornered, concrete base, and undulating exposed concrete roof shows off their still contemporary looking organo-modern style... although my eye was drawn to the awkward gap between walls and roof filled internally with fanned timber boards.
We arrived in time for a classic example of how not to use powerpoint (put up the full rules of a competition, then read it all out. All. Ten. Slides. Zzzzzz). This was before the annual Betoni magazine award was made to the design and construction team for Hämeenlinnan Maakunta Arkisto (Provincial Archive) - with Heikkinen-Komonen as architects. The historic graphics printed on the concrete archive 'box' are no doubt what won it this prize, but it is a admirably clean and clear expression of the brief - public functions in a fully glazed ground floor, with concrete ark floating above, and brown, copper-clad administration box behind separated with a light filled circulation slot.
On a side note - why do all Finnish architects have English websites?
Haus Marte via
Anyway, we were really there for the main lecture, from Austrian architect's Marte.Marte, in which a German speaker was to talk in English to a room of (mainly) Finns. However despite that minor handicap a good presentation with beautiful graphics and photographs followed (although since they have published a glossy monograph recently you would expect so). Suiting the occasion Stefan Marte concentrated on their minimalist concrete 'shells' with frameless glazed openings - often based on pure square plans and over looking fabulous Rhine valley landscapes. But rammed earth, aluminium, corten steel and birch plywood all got a look in. Have a browse through their rather nice minimalist website (in German) - but notice you'll need to use the little arrow/triangle on the right of the image to cycle through the pictures (something that took me ages to figure out) - maybe a case of too minimal?
During the makkara pasta buffet afterwards, (and influenced by pari lasia viiniä), Konna revealed to us the last time she had been to Dipoli... but I'll let her tell that story another time.
Dipoli also has a link with Europan 10, or at least our Tampere site, as this is where Reima and Reili Pietilä produced many of their major works; and were we saw the exhibition of their work - my first introduction to these important Finnish architects.
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