Mikko Heikkinen & Markku Komonen

In a country attached to the heritage of Aalvar Alto, Eliel Saarinen or Reima Pietilä, Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen breathed new life and strength into the Finnish architecture.

In/over three decades, this duo of architects designed an impressive series of buildings connected to one another thanks to an international architecture completely unrelated to their famous predecessors. Elegance, simplicity and transparency constitute the leitmotif.

Since their oeuvre leans on the fundamental principle Ť good architecture ť, originating from the culture of the country, it radiates a design related to the minimalism carried away by a natural pleasure in the geometric configurations game. The Centre of Science in Finland (Vantaa, 1998) is one of it most obvious examples. Visible in the tension between the shapes and elements penetrating the building, the concept of this centre was developed in order to create an architecture integrating as a whole with the environment. The Salvage Service School in Kuopio (1992) is made by a curve emphasizing on the extensiveness/vastness of the scenery; the headquarters of McDonalds (1997) constitute a cylinder presenting different materials and building methods. This single monolith creates a spectacular effect in the scenery/landscape. Moreover, both architects believe that technology can comply with the challenges of ecology. Their projects always integrating in the environment (and not only distinctively present in Finland, but well beyond its borders) were developed according to the technological and social realities of our era. The complex “European Film College’ in Ebeltoft (Denmark, 1993) takes the topography into account while creating a maximal contrast with nature. The lattice is to filter the sunlight and nevertheless enabling the building to hide and reveal.

Extension of the Salvage Service School in Kuopio (1994)

Headquarters McDonald’s (1997)