Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Сребърна награда A' Design Award in Дизайн на архитектура, сгради и конструкции Competition Category.

СреброАрхитектура· 2021

Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция

by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects

Сребърна награда A' Design Award Winner in Архитектура Category

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The Design

About Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция

Imatra GIS е електрическа подстанция, разположена в пейзажа на бързеите Imatrankoski в Източна Финландия. Проектът включва сграда на подстанцията и пет електрически пилона и терминали. Сградата има бетонна рамка и двуслойни фасади. Външният слой е изработен от ръчно направени дълги тухли, положени в зигзагообразен профил и поддържани от стоманена рамка. Преносните конструкции са изработени от триъгълни заварени стоманени профили. Дизайнът разделя аспекти на застроената среда и сглобява отново елементите в нова абстрахирана форма, в баланс с околния пейзаж.

The Recognition

About the Сребърна награда A' Design Award

Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция е носител на Сребърната награда A' Design Award — извънредно престижно признание, присъждано на дизайни от най-висока класа, великолепни и впечатляващи. Сребърните победители са изключително блестящи и крайно творчески творби, които илюстрират изключителната компетентност, талант и проницателност на своите дизайнери. Очаква се Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция да бъде прекрасна, показна творба, забележително професионална и дълбоко иновативна. Този дизайн, спечелил Сребърната награда A' Design Award, е високо забележимо, възхищавано изобретение, което е от полза и разширява границите на изкуството, науката, дизайна и технологиите. Imatra GIS Първична функция: Електрическа подстанция е творение, на което мнозина завиждат, което събужда желания, внася положителни чувства и разпалва изумление и възхита.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The project is composed of an electricity substation building and an array of five designer power pylons and terminals, set in the national landscape of Imatrankoski rapids in Eastern Finland. The new structures were designed to be in balance with the surrounding landscape. Their design breaks apart aspects of the built context and reassembles them in a new abstracted form. A combination of hand-made and industrial materials and structures is used to achieve this.
Dimensions & Packaging: The substation building floor area: 965 sqm. Length x width x height of the building 44,1 m x 13,2 m x 8,1 m.
Tags: infrastructure, architecture, landscape, electricity substation, transmission, power line, brick, concrete, steel
Production Technology: The substation building has a concrete frame and double-skin facades. The outermost facade layer consists of hand-made long bricks laid in a zig-zag profile. The brick cladding is supported by a steel frame fixed to the inner concrete facades. The concrete structure consists of pre-fabricated and in-situ parts. The transmission structures are made of triangular welded steel profiles. They consist of workshop-made, coated pre-fabricated sections assembled and erected on the site without welding.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was architectural rather than technical, due to the qualities of the surrounding landscape and the history of the area. Visual and structural coherence of the distinct parts and general sensitivity to the context were methods for overcoming this challenge. We arrived at the final design through a process of elimination. Dozens of prototype 3D models were evaluated for impact in a detailed and accurate site model based on an extensive point-cloud data set of the area.
Research: We used site visits and literature sources for determining visual and historical factors that would most influence and serve the design. Literature about the history of the landscape, tourism, architecture, and industry in the area was used. The finding that had the most impact on the design was based on the analysis of the external architecture of the old hydropower plant: the rhythm of the facade openings, and the materials used in the buildings.
Inspiration: The beautiful landscape and the historical significance of the area were the primary sources of inspiration for us. The existing, impressive industrial architecture of the context was another major factor in the design. The guiding principle has been that the new structures should form a clearly defined new historical layer. They would also have to be timeless and combine harmoniously with the context. We sought to further elevate the beauty of the site.
Project Duration: Project completed: 2020
Location: Imatra, Finland
Operation Flow: Imatra electricity substation and the transmission structures are not fenced off from the surroundings and they can be approached freely. The substation is an unmanned facility that is mainly remote-controlled from a central control room located off-site. It is visited regularly for inspection and maintenance purposes by trained personnel. In the main process equipment room, the users control the switchgear equipment on a workstation designed for this purpose.
Team Members: Tuomas Kivinen
Anna Blomqvist
Maria Karjalainen
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2020.
Image #2: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021.
Image #3: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2020.
Image #4: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021.
Image #5: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021.