Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl in Calchihualiztli, Calmanaliztli ihuan Tlatecpanaliztli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

IztacteocuitlatlCalchihualiztli· 2021

Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia

by Virkkunen and Co Architects

Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl Winner in Calchihualiztli Category

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The Design

About Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia

Imatra GIS ye ce calli tlen quisentlalia tlanextli chicahualiztli tlen motlalia ipan tlalli tlen Imatrankoski atl motlaloa itech Tlauhcopa Finlandia. Inin tequitl quipia ce calli tlen tlanextli chicahualiztli ihuan macuilli huey cuahuitl tepoztli ihuan tlatlamilli. In calli quipia ce concreto tlaquechilli ihuan omextin ehuatl ixnehnepanolli. In panizquiztli ehuatl mochihua ica huehueyac tlaxantetl tlen ica maitl mochihua, motecac ipan zig-zag icuiliuhca ihuan motzicoa ica ce tepoztli tlaquechilli. In tlacaquixtiliztli tlachihualiztli mochihua ica yexcampa tepoztli tlaneloa ixnextilli. Inin tlachihualiztli quixeloa in tlamantli tlen achto omocalli ihuan oc ceppa quisentlalia in tlamantli ica ce yancuic tlaixtlapoliuhqui tlacayotl, huan mahuiztic ihuan in nohuiyan tlalli.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl

Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Iztacteocuitlatl, hueyi tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in huel yectli, tlanextic ihuan mahuiztic tlachihualli. In quicuicah Iztacteocuitlatl ca cenca cualli ihuan cenca yancuic tlachihualli in quinextia in tlamatiliztli, toltecayotl ihuan ixtlamatiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia ca cenca cualli, cenca motequiuhtia ihuan yancuic. Ni dizayno in quicuic Iztacteocuitlatl quihuelitia in toltecayotl, tlamatiliztli, dizayno ihuan teknolohia. Imatra GIS Tequitl Achto: Calli tlen Tlanextli Chicahualiztli Quisentlalia quiyolchicahua in tlacah, quipaquiltia ihuan quitlamahuiztiltia.

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.