HERITAGE

We are surrounded by the ordinary. Unlike older buildings shaped by craft traditions and layered histories of use, much of today’s built environment is defined by repetition and banality. To us, everything that is built should be considered heritage.

Our work within the framework of the existing built environment includes:

producing historical surveys of buildings (rakennushistoriaselvitys)

conducting research of the existing built environment

designing renovations, transformations and reuse of existing buildings

producing urban plans, visions and action plans for developing existing neighborhoods

revitalising and activating existing public spaces through placemaking

building maintenance knowledge and developing reuse and repair plans during on-site office in residence periods

We curated the exhibition of the Pavilion of Finland at the 2025 Venice Biennale Architettura.

THE PAVILION – ARCHITECTURE OF STEWARDSHIP
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.

Photo: Ugo Carmeni

The exhibition is comissioned & produced by Archinfo Finland
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

Photo: Ugo Carmeni

Photo: Anna Rusi

THE PAVILION OF FINLAND IN PRESS
YLE Kulttuuriykkönen
Dezeen
The Guardian
NSS Magazine
Architecture Today
Stirworld
Designboom
Wallpaper
Archdaily
Rondine
World Architecture

Photo: Miina Jutila

ARCHITECTURE OF STEWARDSHIP

The exhibition is accompanied by an independent publication Architecture of Stewardship. By recounting the Pavilion’s history, this book illustrates that buildings are not static objects but dynamic processes influenced by human actions, global politics and non-human forces. The collection of essays offers perspectives on stewardship from Finnish and Italian contributors in academia, practice, and activism, and explores how people have stewarded land, resources, and communities throughout the Pavilion’s history and its Venetian context.

Editors and Authors
Ella Kaira & Matti Jänkälä

Contributors
Stefano Ferro, Lodovica Guarnieri, Jonas Malmberg, Ila Narjus, Essi Nisonen, Pietro Daniel Omodeo, Veronica Pecile, Sofie Pelsmakers, Margherita Scapin, Carolyn Smith, Gianni Talamini, Federica Toninello

Graphic Design
Samuli Saarinen

Published by
Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing in collaboration with Archinfo – Information Centre for Finnish Architecture

ISBN 978-91-89270-97-8

MERIRASTI MULTIFUNCTIONAL BUILDING COMPETITION

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 neighbourhood. The project aimed to integrate a school, daycare centre, and youth centre while balancing new construction with the thoughtful reuse of existing structures.
With support from FEMMA Planning, we held workshops with residents and school personnel 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.

LA BOCA DEL ESPOLÓN

La Boca del Espolón is an audio installation proposal for the Concéntrico Festival 2026. It gathers the voices and sounds that shape Logroño today: spoken stories, ambient sounds, and the presence of more-than-human life.
During the festival, the recordings are played through a wooden structure shaped like an oversized horn, functioning as an analogue loudspeaker. Visitors are invited to approach, sit, rest, and listen—encountering the city through sound.
The installation enters into dialogue with one of the Paseo del Espolón’s most recognisable landmarks: the Concha del Espolón. Designed by Jaime Carceller and inaugurated in 1954, this shell-shaped auditorium — modelled on a similar structure in San Francisco — has hosted generations of concerts, from military bands to popular music, integrating sound in the civic life of Logroño. Conceived as a contemporary counterpart, La Boca del Espolón mirrors its acoustic role while shifting the focus from performance to attentive listening.

Visualisation of the installation on site with the Concha del Espolón on the background.

OFFICE IN RESIDENCE

We offer on-site research periods during which we move our workspaces temporarily to an existing (possibly vacant) building. During the office in residence periods we build understanding of the building’s current condition, maintenance needs and potential for repair and reuse. During the period we can serve as temporary stewards of the building – monitoring its condition and keeping the lights on during vacancy.
If you would be interested to invite us for an office in residency, don’t hesitate to contact us via email at vokal(at)vokal.fi
Our first office in residence will take place in the former Technical College ‘Ion Mincu’ architecture high school as part of the Beta Biennale taking place in Timișoara Romania.

THERMAL KNOWLEDGE

Central to understanding architecture is understanding heat. Our built environment functions as an external system that regulates temperature to keep conditions suitable for human life. While life on Earth ultimately relies on energy from the sun, human societies draw on various forms of energy to sustain activity and comfort.
Alongside everyday practices like clothing and diet, architecture helps maintain the crucial 37°C of homeostasis, the stable internal temperature that keeps enzymes operating within their narrow range of about 35.5°C to 37.6°C. When ambient temperatures drop below the thermal comfort zone of roughly 21°C to 28°C, the body initiates thermogenesis: blood vessels constrict, shivering begins, and heat is generated. When temperatures rise above this zone, thermolysis cools the body as vessels dilate and sweat forms.
Most contemporary buildings, particularly in many European countries and often constructed during the era of abundant fossil energy and poor insulation, face the challenge of maintaining indoor temperatures within the human thermal comfort zone. Understanding how heat moves through buildings is therefore essential for ensuring the future usability and efficiency of structures.
Thermal Knowledge is a video installation exhibited at the Beta Biennale 2026. During our onsite office-in-residence period we will study the heating and insulation of the former Technical College ‘Ion Mincu’ architecture high school in Timișoara Romania using thermal imaging. We will conduct thermal scans of the buildings exterior and interior to identify the potential cold bridges and leakage in thermal insulation. The thermal scans will be exhibited as 1:1 projections on the building’s walls.