JKMM architects: finnish pavilion at shanghai expo 2010

‘kirnu’ (‘giant’s kettle) is JKMM architects winning design for the finnish pavilion at the shanghai world expo 2010. head designer of the project is architect teemu kurkela. the overall vision for the pavilion was to portray finland in a microcosm, as a miniature city, with the interior of the pavilion tells stories of finland and its people.

finnish pavilion – kirnu image courtesy of JKMM architects

the story of finland begins in the times of the ice ages, when the country was covered by a several kilometer thick layer of ice, whose movement shaped the coastline, lakes and islands of finnish land. the ice age also created giant’s kettles, cavities naturally formed in a bedrock as a result of heavy ice drilling stones through this bedrock. a hollow space resembling one of these giant’s kettles can also be found in the center of the finnish pavilion, kirnu.

the sculptural architecture of kirnu draws on nature. the pavilion is to be considered something like an island, its formal language, free without symmetry. it will be surrounded by a mirror of water, with its surface covered by shingles resembling those of fish scales. as one begins to approach the building, the subtle, scaly surface will begin to take shape. visitors will walk on a bridge towards the main entrance, whose sheer fabric surfaces will form a portal to the pavilion. the wooden floor will resemble that of a dock, with the smell of tar. there is also a gently sloping ramp ascending within the thick walls of kirnu’s exhibition hall, a high space which winds around the atrium. after the exhibition hall, the ramp continues downward to the exit, shop and restaurant area.

the pavilion was designed entirely by computer with the environment and sustainability taken into consideration. energy consumption will be minimized, with heat stress caused by the sun reduced by the direction in which the facilities face. the thick atrium walls, building materials and construction methods have been selected with the aim of minimizing CO2 emissions. the most visible example of the reuse and recycling of materials can be found in the pavilion’s façade. the scale-like shingles are made of a mixture of paper and plastic which are a recycled product of the industry. therefore, waste is recycled into a new construction material, a paper-plastic composite which is waterproof.

the natural elements of water and sky are main elements of the architecture. people, nature and technology have come together and the pavilion will provide a forum for discussions about development policies for a better life.

exterior day view image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

exterior night view image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects the textured exterior surface which resembles fish scales image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

rendered detail of scales which are made of a recycled paper and plastic composite image courtesy of JKMM architectsrendering detail of scales image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

the entrance is small and shady, the inner atrium opening towards the sky and the clouds image courtesy of JKMM architects

the VIP entrance area image courtesy of JKMM architects

VIP reception area image courtesy of JKMM architects the sloping ramp which ascends the pavilion’s walls image courtesy of JKMM architects

interior view of ramp image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

VIP lounging space image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects

sheer walls of fabric form a portal within the pavilion image courtesy of JKMM architects model of the finnish pavilion image courtesy of JKMM architects

structural rendering of the pavilion image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

aerial floor plan with large graphics of fish ‘swimming’ through the space image courtesy of JKMM architects image courtesy of JKMM architects

image courtesy of JKMM architects

split profile view image courtesy of JKMM architects

Finland Pavilion Kirnu from finlandatexpo2010 on Vimeo.

construction in progress: finnish pavilion as of july 28th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai

finnish pavilion as of july 28th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai finnish pavilion as of july 28th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai finnish pavilion as of august 18th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai finnish pavilion as of august 18th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai finnish pavilion as of november 12th, 2009 images courtesy of finland at expo 2010 shanghai