Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award d'Argentu in Disignu d'Architettura Competition Category.
ArgentuArchitettura· 2021
Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica
by Virkkunen and Co Architects
Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects
A' Design Award d'Argentu Winner in Architettura Category
- 22,224
- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #120944
The Design
About Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica
Imatra GIS hè una sottostazione elettrica situata in u paisaghju di i rapidi di Imatrankoski in Finlandia Orientale. U prughjettu include un edifiziu di sottostazione è cinque piloni è terminali elettrichi. L'edifiziu hà un scheletru di calcestruzzu è facciate à doppia pelle. U stratu esternu hè fattu di mattoni longhi fatti à manu, pusati in un prufilu à zig-zag è suppurtati da un scheletru d'acciaghju. Le strutture di trasmissione sò fatte di prufili triangulari d'acciaghju saldatu. U dissegnu spezza l'aspetti di u cuntestu custruitu è riassembla l'elementi in una nova forma astratta, in equilibriu cù u paisaghju circundante.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award d'Argentu
Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica hè un vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award d'Argentu, una ricunniscenza straordinariamente prestigiosa attribuita à i disegni di alta gamma, splendidi è impressiunanti. I vincitori d'Argentu sò opere tremendamente brillanti è estremamente creative chì illustranu l'espertisa, u talentu è l'acutezza eccezziunali di i so disegnatori. Si aspetta chì Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica sia una opera maravigliosa di mostra, rimarchevulemente prufessiunale è prufondamente innuvatrice. Stu disegnu vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award d'Argentu hè una invenzione assai nutevule è ammirata chì benefizia è allarga i limiti di l'arte, di a scienza, di u disegnu è di a tecnulugia. Imatra GIS Sottostazione Elettrica hè una creazione assai invidiata chì evoca disideri, introduce sentimenti pusitivi è accende stupore è maraviglia.
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.
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
