– Giancarlo di Carlo, Group 10
5/2025 Archinfo & Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing
Architecture of Stewardship
1/2024 Archinfo
Residency work opens up new perspectives and opportunities to build international networks
12/2023 Finnish Cultural Institute in New York
Interview: Ella Kaira and Matti Jänkälä on the soft side of architecture
5/2023 Finnish Architectural Review
Halting New Construction – Interview with Charlotte Malterre-Barthes
5/2023 Finnish Architectural Review
Revisit: Vuoranta Training Centre
2/2023 Finnish Architectural Review
The Local Community Heals
1/2023 Finnish Architectural Review
Social Movements, Saviors of Built Heritage?
Architecture is often seen as the creation of the architect alone. However, architecture is a collaborative endeavour, drawing on diverse labour – from design contributions by architects and engineers to the efforts of construction workers, maintenance staff, cleaners, and restoration architects, all of whom play vital roles in the creation and upkeep of the built environment.
The exhibition traces the story of the Pavilion of Finland, designed by architect Alvar Aalto and his office, from its construction in 1956, through three major restorations and decades of continuous maintenance, to today. It delves into the labour required to ensure the longevity of architecture and positions the people involved in this work as co-creators alongside the original architect.
Through immersive multi-channel video projections and sound art, the exhibition brings to life the memories embedded within the pavilion’s walls. Through these stories, the exhibition invites visitors to see the space from new perspectives and uncovers aspects that are typically hidden.
Preserving built heritage depends on stewardship – a shared duty between architects and non-architects, requiring the negotiation of land, resources, and the built environment and considering the needs of humans and non-humans alike. The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship aspires to make the invisible visible.
Curated by Ella Kaira & Matti Jänkälä
Video art by Merle Karp
Sound design by Jussi Hertz
Exhibition architecture by Antti Auvinen
Graphic design by Samuli Saarinen
Guy Debord & Asger Jorn, The Naked City, 1957
Geography of Memories is an art and research project that collaborates with local residents to gather memories and the intangible values embedded in the neighborhood of Meri-Rastila. As the area undergoes significant changes due to urban renewal, major buildings—from schools to the local mall—are being demolished to make way for new constructions.
Through our approach, we aim to inspire a new way of observing the built environment—not just through abstract maps and planners’ drawings, but through the personal significance places and spaces hold in people’s lives. Drawing inspiration from the methodologies of French situationists, we will create a “memory map” that illustrates the social life of the neighborhood.
The project also invites us to engage with the history of map-making and reflect on the power that the lines drawn by architects carry. Even if the demolition driven by urban renewal cannot be halted, we can preserve the memories embedded in the built environment and the silent knowledge held by the area’s residents.
The project is funded by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and the City of Helsinki.
In the spring of 2024, we collaborated with landscape architect Kaisla Rahkola on an architectural competition for a new multipurpose building in East Helsinki’s Meri-Rastila neighborhood. The project aimed to integrate a school, daycare center, and youth center while balancing new construction with the thoughtful reuse of existing structures.
With support from FEMMA Planning, we held workshops with residents and school staff to assess the strengths and challenges of the current buildings. These sessions helped envision how the new complex could best serve its users.
Our proposal focused on preserving the site’s existing buildings, connecting them with extensions while demolishing only the janitor’s house for new functions.
The yard design honored natural features, preserving trees, the forest floor, and open rock areas while repurposing playground equipment. Rooftop play spaces, a public path from Fokkatori to Haruspuisto, and a rooftop garden enhanced community access.
Design practice Raivio&Bumann commissioned us to facilitate a participatory workshop for children and young people as part of their placemaking project in Meri-Rastila, East Helsinki. We invited the local youth to imagine their dream neighborhood through collages.
The participants explored the cityscape with a focus on play, socializing with friends, and self-expression. Through the anecdotes shared during the workshop, we gained valuable insights into how the youth perceive their neighborhood.
We discovered that places for play can be found in the most unexpected spots: at the locally famous climbing tree, in the breeze from an AC unit on the side of the local mall, or at the cliffs where friends gather to meet up.
Raivio&Bumann gathered and synthesized the findings from the workshop, using them as valuable insights to inform city planning in the area. The workshop was part of the Meri-Rastila block party, and the finished collages were exhibited at the local cultural center, Merirasti.
What role do local communities play in urban development amid market-driven forces? How can communities act as active agents in response to climate-driven extreme weather events? These are some of the questions explored in Grassroots City, a two-year research and art project focused on the role of local communities in socially and ecologically sustainable urban development.
As climate change forces cities to adapt to rising sea levels and extreme weather, it is essential for city dwellers to be central in shaping climate-resilient urban spaces. The project aims to spark discussion on the resources and resilience of local communities in a changing world, examining the history, present, and future of community-based urban development. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities created by today’s urban dynamics, including the financialization and entrepreneurialization of real estate markets.
The project will culminate in a publication that will serve as a tool for participatory urban planning and provide insights for building socially and ecologically sustainable cities.
The project is funded by the Arts Promotion Center.
As climate change forces cities to adapt to rising sea levels and extreme weather, it is essential for city dwellers to be central in shaping climate-resilient urban spaces. The project aims to spark discussion on the resources and resilience of local communities in a changing world, examining the history, present, and future of community-based urban development. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities created by today’s urban dynamics, including the financialization and entrepreneurialization of real estate markets.
The project will culminate in a publication that will serve as a tool for participatory urban planning and provide insights for building socially and ecologically sustainable cities.
The project is funded by the Arts Promotion Center.
In November 2023, we relocated to New York for the Finnish Cultural Institute’s architecture residency. During our time there, we explored the intersection of climate change and social movements, focusing on how communities adapt to climate change by occupying and appropriating their environment.
The residency culminated in the exhibition and workshop, “Reclaim the Triangle,” where we shared insights from our exploration of community-based practices in New York City’s climate adaptation. Participants were invited to envision ways to reshape their surroundings, drawing inspiration from community-led initiatives such as community-based organizations, community gardens, and landmarks like Cooper Square, home to New York’s first community land trust.
First piloted in the FCINY residency in New York, the climate game is an ongoing participatory method that we use to collect and share insights about community resilience in our contemporary cities facing the effects of climate change.
1/3/2025 Community Matters
21/2/2025 Fixer’s Folklore
Meri-Rastila
8/4/2024 Simple Suffices
27/10/2023 Hidden Sanctuaries
19/10/2023 Cultural Space Merirasti
12/6/2023 Temporary Buildings on Rental Lots
25/10/2022 Beyond Repair?
25/10/2022 An Endangered Landmark
24/9/2023 Yearning for Roots
5/9/1989 History of a Neighborhood
18/8/2023 It's all so Secretive
New York
04/02/2023 Managed Retreat
02/08/1962 Preservation Beyond Landmarks
04/02/2023 Real Estate on Shaky Ground
15/11/2023 Billion Dollar Flooding
14/11/2023 It’s All About Real Estate
13/02/1970 Community Control Over Land
27/11/2023 Reimagining Infrastructure
16/11/2023 Organizing for Environmental Justice
25/11/2023 Urban Homesteading Movement
9/11/2023 Striving for Collective Resiliency
7/11/2023 Guerrilla Gardening
4/11/2023 Stories of a Different Time
vokal(@)vokal.fi
Ella Kaira
Architect (MSc) SAFA
ella.kaira(@)vokal.fi
Matti Jänkälä
Architect (MSc) SAFA
matti.jankala(@)vokal.fi
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