Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Tuzo ya Fedha ya A' Design Award in Usanifu wa Majengo, Ujenzi na Miundo Competition Category.
FedhaUsanifu wa Majengo· 2021
Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme
by Virkkunen and Co Architects
Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects
Tuzo ya Fedha ya A' Design Award Winner in Usanifu wa Majengo Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #120944The Design
About Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme
Imatra GIS ni kituo cha umeme kilichowekwa katika mandhari ya kasi za maji za Imatrankoski katika Ufini ya Mashariki. Mradi huu unajumuisha jengo la kituo cha umeme na nguzo tano za umeme na vituo vya mwisho. Jengo lina fremu ya zege na fasadi za tabaka mbili. Tabaka la nje limetengenezwa kwa matofali marefu yaliyotengenezwa kwa mikono yaliyowekwa katika muundo wa zigizagi na kushikiliwa na fremu ya chuma. Miundo ya usafirishaji imetengenezwa kwa profaili za chuma za pembetatu zilizounganishwa kwa kulehemu. Muundo huu unavunja vipengele vya muktadha wa ujenzi na kuunganisha upya vipengele katika umbo jipya lililoondolewa uhalisia, likiwa katika uwiano na mandhari inayozunguka.
The Recognition
About the Tuzo ya Fedha ya A' Design Award
Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme ni mshindi wa Tuzo ya Fedha ya A' Design Award, utambuzi wenye heshima kubwa ya ajabu unaotolewa kwa miundo ya hali ya juu kabisa, ya kupendeza na ya kuvutia. Washindi wa Fedha ni kazi zinazong'aa mno na bunifu kupita kiasi zinazoonyesha utaalamu bora, kipaji na busara ya wabunifu wao. Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme inatarajiwa kuwa kazi nzuri ya kuigwa ambayo ni ya kitaalamu kwa kiasi kikubwa na yenye ubunifu wa kina. Muundo huu ulioshinda Tuzo ya Fedha ya A' Design Award ni uvumbuzi unaojulikana sana na kupendwa, unaonufaisha na kupanua mipaka ya sanaa, sayansi, usanifu na teknolojia. Imatra GIS Kituo cha Umeme ni kazi inayotamaniwa mno inayochochea hamu, huleta hisia chanya na huzua mshangao na mastaajabu.
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.
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