The construction of Tuira School in Oulu was completed this August. We have now updated the project page with new photos, updated drawings and a project description.

Verstas has won a design competition for a new bird watchtower in Liminka. The tower will be built in Liminka Bay, which is one of Europe’s most important bird wetlands.

The shape of the wooden tower resembles the way a flock of birds, gathered for a migration journey, moves, drawing geometric forms that can be seen for a fleeting moment.  

Lamminrahka Education Centre has been selected as a finalist for the Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2024!

The Education Centre is a key public building of the new Lamminrahka area between Kangasala and Tampere. The centre consists of three building volumes connected by a central heart space. The heart space serves as the school canteen and the main gathering space, bringing together all users of the building. It also connects to the main public square of the new residential area. Many facilities, such as the gyms and workshops are used by the residents of the area in the evening.  

Verstas won an open competition for the design of the education centre in 2020. The construction of the building commenced in November 2021 and the first phase of the Centre opened its doors in August 2023.

We are honoured by the nomination and grateful for the jury’s appreciation of designing new learning environments. 

We are happy to announce that Verstas Architects’ proposal “Airut” has won the shared third prize in The Museum of History and the Future competition! The open, international competition was organized by the City of Turku and received over 400 entries.

Our design resonates with the nature of the archipelago, the ships in the harbor and the historic Turku Castle. The perceived scale of the large museum building has been carefully tailored to fit the granularity of Linnanniemi area. The central lobby space with its entrances opens to all main directions of approach, thus the building has no backside. From the sea, the museum building forms a pedestal for the Turku Castle.

The dialogue of the monolithic masses, the lobby space carved in between them and the open ground floor forms the architectural identity of the new museum. The reflections from the waves of the seafront turn the museum building into a living piece of art.

The Jury commended the design: “The unique museum building reinforces Turku’s image as an archipelago city and is a unique addition to the chain of cultural buildings along the River Aurajoki.”

Verstas Arkkitehdit has won the Nihti block 10672 invitational architecture competition in ​​Kalasatama, Helsinki with the proposal “Dekki”. The goal of the competition was to design a residential apartment building for plots 3 and 4 of block 10672 in Nihti. The competition was organized by Skanska and the City of Helsinki in cooperation with the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).

“The location of the competition block at the urban sea views of Nihti was a key starting point for the design. The views provide an uplifting background for the life of the building. The layout of the apartments is strongly reflected in the building’s facades and the urban appearance. Most of the apartments open in at least two directions. The kitchen and living room spaces of the apartments face west and south, to the beautiful maritime views.” describes Väinö Nikkilä from Verstas Architects.

The Jury commended the winning design for solving the objectives of the Nihti masterplan in a way that adds value to the apartments. Also the plan design and the adaptability of the apartments received praise.

The Helsinki Biennial Pavilion is nominated for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award! See all the nominees and more about the award here: https://eumiesaward.com/.

Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo