NewsFinland: Looking for traces in the happiest country in...

Finland: Looking for traces in the happiest country in the world

Finland is considered the happiest country in the world and has won this title four times in a row. The attitude towards life also influences the architecture there – or is it the other way around? From Katrin Groth.

Helsinki – A column of smoke curls up above the wooden hut as the door swings open and lets out a gush of hot air. Sweaty figures stagger steaming on the jetty by the lake – and jump. The water: ice cold, but on their faces: big smiles. In summer and winter it is one of them, the Finnish sauna, of which there are said to be more than just cars across the country. This is one of the reasons why the 5.5 million people in Finland are more satisfied than those in other nations. At least if the “World Happiness Report” has its way, which evaluates things like prosperity, life expectancy, corruption and freedom and which the country has been leading since 2018. This feeling of happiness influences the Finnish understanding of architecture – or is it architecture that contributes to happiness?

The search for traces begins in Lapland, north of Kuusamo. The road runs seemingly endless through spruce and pine forests, a reindeer trots carefree on the edge of the road. Ninety percent of Finland’s surface is either covered by forest or water, a land of green and blue. In the middle of the forest there is a courtyard, behind which the Heikinjärvi lake glistens in the sun. There’s not much going on, Corona, like everywhere else, says Katja Kämäräinen. With her sister Sirpa she runs the Isokenkäisten Klubi, which her parents bought as a farm 40 years ago. Today the courtyard, which was built in a rustic block construction, is a hotel and restaurant.

In Finland people live sustainably

All around the treetops sway in the wind, the senses sharpen: Is there a woodpecker knocking? Does it smell woody? And isn’t a weasel sitting on the bank? The sisters smile. Here in the north these things count: the forest, the peace and quiet, good food. “I collect the herbs myself, as well as the blueberries for dessert,” says cook Sirpa over dinner. She also makes jam, mushroom ragout and reindeer goulash herself, all from the forests of Lapland.

„Der Wald ist unsere Kirche“, besagt eine finnische Redensart. Und die Natur ist eine der wichtigsten Komponenten des Designs.

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“The forest is our church,” says a Finnish saying. And nature is one of the most important components of design.

“The forest is our church” says a Finnish saying. Others may feel fear or loneliness, but in Finland people feel protected by the forest. Alvar Aalto also shared a deep love for nature. Finland’s famous architect is quoted as saying: “Form must have content, and this content must have a connection to nature.” To this day, nature is one of the most important components of Finnish design. Especially for the indigenous Sámi people, whose way of life has been based on restraint towards nature for centuries. This is also reflected in the Sami cultural center Sajos – the Sami word for base camp – in Inari; the design of the wooden structure comes from Halo Arkkitehdit.

Respect for nature is part of the Finnish way of life

“It is important to us to respect the traditions and cultures of our country and to learn from them, as the aesthetics are already adapted to our climate, our nature and our way of life,” says Emma Johansson, partner at the architecture office Studio Puisto. The young team from Helsinki has just completed a wooden prototype for a hotel in Kivijärvi: 36 square meters balanced on a post with a diameter of 60 centimeters. It is inspired by an elevated storage hut of the Sámi. “Traditionally, Niliaittas are built on a tree trunk that is held in place by a root system.” Studio Puisto translated this into a modern mast structure, a kind of one-legged hotel room.

Inspired by nature, inspired by nature – this applies to residential buildings such as Villa Koivikko by OOPEAA or functional buildings such as the very reduced whiskey warehouse with black wooden cladding by the Kyrö distillery, designed by Avanto Architects, but also public buildings, schools, libraries, churches and Saunas – Löyly in Helsinki or the brand new Kiulu in Ähtäri – are modeled on Mother Nature. The latest major project in Helsinki: the Oodi central library by ALA Architects. Its structure, which strives towards the sky and is clad in pine, illustrates the new boom in wooden architecture, its design a large, thoroughly cozy living room in which children play and adults drink coffee.

Die Zentralbibliothek in Helsinki.

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The Central Library in Helsinki.

“For most Finns, nature is the most important source of inspiration and the core of personal well-being. And I definitely feel the same way, ”says Päivi Meuronen. The interior designer is a partner at JKMM Architects in Helsinki, one of the largest Finnish architecture firms. “For me as a designer, it means first and foremost a high quality of design, materials and implementation, sustainable solutions and carefully thought-out details.” JKMM provided the Helsinki Art Museum Amos Rex with the distinctive “eyes”, designed numerous libraries and, most recently, the competition won for the extension of the Finnish National Museum.

Finland wants to become climate neutral by 2035

A life in harmony with nature is deeply rooted in Finland, the nature and climate protection goals are correspondingly ambitious in view of climate change: the country wants to become climate neutral by 2035. The Finnish municipality Ii – which actually writes itself that way -, in which JKMM recently renovated a farm that was nominated for the next Mies van der Rohe Award, is making great strides, has reduced its CO2 emissions by 80 percent and is now producing ten times more electricity than it needs. “The core of sustainability is to differentiate between needs and wants,” says Emma Johansson. “It is our job as architects to ask the difficult questions about values, lifespan, flexibility of conversion and ultimately about recycling.”

Many kilometers further south, a rowing boat is bobbing on the lake and an angler enjoys the peace and quiet. With 3000 kilometers of navigable rivers and canals, Saimaa is the largest lake area in Europe. Birds are chirping, a weasel whizzes along the bank, where a Mökki is hiding between the birches. There are three million such summer houses. “My happy place is our simple and modest house on Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland,” enthuses interior designer Meuronen. Swimming, fishing and having a sauna – it’s the simple things that make people happy here during the short, intense summer.

Ein Hotel in Kivijärvi: Auf Pfählen balancierende Zimmer.

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A hotel in Kivijärvi: rooms balanced on stilts.

The tradition of the smoke sauna, with a wood stove and birch branches, goes back a long time, but there are still no rigid rules. There is laughing, chatting and sometimes drinking a glass. “Do whatever you want, as long as you respect your counterpart”, that applies in the sauna – and is also important outside of it. Just like the topic of equality. In 1906, Finland was the first country in Europe to be allowed to vote at national level. Today, 36-year-old Sanna Marin is the youngest female prime minister in the world. And Finns are happy with their government, as the World Happiness Report shows. Not only do they trust the authorities, they also trust each other. While many Germans tend to be rather skeptical, the Finns initially believe that others are already doing the right thing.

The 75-year-old stories of the Moomin troll beings already tell of it – of friendship and love, of respect for nature, of equality, tolerance and freedom. “Finnish culture is very much based on the understanding that collective satisfaction and happiness also bring personal satisfaction and happiness. This is also important for us as an office – we work in such a way that everyone is satisfied, knowing that we are all doing our part, “says Emma Johansson, describing the work at Studio Puisto.

In Finland people live in harmony with nature

And when Corona suddenly brought with it distance rules, a joke made the rounds in Finland, it said: What, two meters? Should we get that close? “We are there for each other, go through thick and thin. Laughter is an important part of our everyday life. We have equal rights and a down-to-earth spirit that values a cup of coffee and our pub next door, ”says Päivi Meuronen.

Jump west. A fresh breeze blows in the Turku archipelago with its 40,000 islands. Whether on Bengtskär with its lighthouse built in 1906 or on Hirvensalo, where the minimalist pine chapel by Sanaksenaho Architects is reminiscent of an upturned boat. In Turku itself, the old capital with its medieval cathedral, urban life pulsates. Between the market hall and the art hall, it is worth taking a detour to the JKMM library. Clear shapes made of glass, stone and wood, reduced to the essentials. The Paimio tuberculosis sanatorium, built in 1933, is evidence of this idea. Alvar and Aino Aalto redefined modern Finnish design: The focus is on people and in harmony with nature, that’s the claim.

Finland at a glance

Surname Finland
population 5.531 million (as of 2020)
capital city Helsinki
currency Euro
surface 338,455 km² (of which 303,921 km² land)

The Helsinki Aalto House from 1936, home and workplace of Alvar and Aino Aalto, also stands for beauty in the simple. How contemporary Aalto’s design approach is still today can be seen in the newly renovated Savoy: Opened in 1937, the restaurant in Helsinki, which was largely preserved in its original state, was redesigned in 2020 by the architect Ilse Crawford and her office Studioilse. A lot of love and a little repair, that was all that was needed, says Crawford.

Happiness can be built – this is evident in Finland

A relaxed restraint in dealing with work and task, which is also evident at Meuronen: “Good design always arises from a need, it has to be sensible, durable and functional.” First and foremost, it must offer added value in everyday life. If you sit on Artek stools in a café, drinking from Iittala glasses, while women walk by outside wearing Marimekko dresses, you can guess what she’s talking about.

And what makes the architects themselves happy? “Family, friends and good food! For me, happiness also means the balance between work and private life, even if architecture and design are my passion and at the same time my hobby, ”says Päivi Meuronen. And Emma Johansson: “For me, happiness consists of little things like starting and ending my day with a few minutes in the garden or reading a good book.” Happiness can be built – in Finland you get an idea of it (Kathrin Groth )

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