Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Nyiaj in Tsim Vaj Tsev, Tsev thiab Qauv Tsev Competition Category.

NyiajVaj Tsev· 2021

Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab

by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects

A' Design Award Nyiaj Winner in Vaj Tsev Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #120944

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The Design

About Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab

Imatra GIS yog ib qho chaw faib fais fab uas nyob rau hauv thaj tsam toj roob hauv pes ntawm cov dej ntws ceev Imatrankoski nyob rau sab hnub tuaj ntawm teb chaws Finland. Qhov project no muaj xws li ib lub tsev chaw faib fais fab thiab tsib tus ncej fais fab thiab qhov chaw txais. Lub tsev muaj ib qho pob zeb concrete frame thiab ob txheej ntawm cov phab ntsa sab nraud. Txheej sab nraud yog muab cov cib ntev uas ua tes tsim los tsim raws li ib txoj kev zig-zag thiab tuav los ntawm cov hlau frame. Cov qauv xa hluav taws xob yog ua los ntawm cov hlau uas muab txhij ua peb sab. Qhov kev tsim no rhuav tshem tawm ib feem ntawm cov chaw uas twb muaj lawm thiab muab cov ntsiab lus rov tsim ua ib daim ntawv abstracted tshiab, sib npaug nrog thaj tsam toj roob hauv pes ib puag ncig.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Nyiaj

Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Nyiaj, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom heev tshaj li qub uas muab rau cov qauv tsim qib siab, zoo nkauj thiab ua rau neeg xav tsis thoob. Cov neeg yeej Nyiaj yog cov haujlwm ci ntsa iab heev thiab tsim tshiab heev uas qhia txog kev paub, kev txawj ntse thiab kev ntse ntawm cov kws tsim qauv. Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab xav tias yuav yog ib qho haujlwm zoo kawg nkaus uas tsim rau qhia, tshaj lij heev thiab tsim tshiab tob. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Nyiaj no yog ib qho khoom tsim uas pom tseeb heev thiab neeg qhuas uas pab tau thiab nthuav dav ciam teb ntawm kev kos duab, kev tshawb fawb, kev tsim qauv thiab thev naus laus zis. Imatra GIS Chaw Faib Fais Fab yog ib qho khoom tsim uas neeg coob xav tau, uas ua rau xav, coj kev xav zoo thiab ua rau xav tsis thoob thiab xav paub.

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.