Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy by Virkkunen and Co Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Kümüş Baýragy in Binagärlik, Bina we Desga Dizaýny Competition Category.
KümüşBinagärlik· 2021
Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy
by Virkkunen and Co Architects
Client: Virkkunen & Co Architects
A' Design Award Kümüş Baýragy Winner in Binagärlik Category
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- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #120944
The Design
About Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy
Imatra GIS – Gündogar Finlýandiýadaky Imatrankoski çaýlaryň tebigy görnüşinde ýerleşdirilen elektrik podstansiýasydyr. Taslama podstansiýa binasyny hem-de bäş sany elektrik diregini we terminaly öz içine alýar. Bina beton karkasa we goşa gatly fasadlara eýedir. Daşky gatlak zig-zag görnüşinde goýlan we polat karkas bilen goldanýan el bilen ýasalan uzyn kerpiçlerden ýasalandyr. Geçiriji gurluşlar üçburçly kebşirlenen polat profillerden ýasalandyr. Dizaýn gurlan gurşawyň aýratynlyklaryny böleklere bölüp, elementleri töweregindäki peýzaž bilen deňagramlylykda täze abstrakt görnüşde gaýtadan birleşdirýär.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Kümüş Baýragy
Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy A' Design Award Kümüş Baýragynyň ýeňijisidir; bu owadan, belent we täsirli ýokary derejeli dizaýnlara berilýän adatdan daşary abraýly ykrarnamadyr. Kümüş ýeňijileri dizaýnerleriniň ajaýyp bilimini, zehinini we ýiti aňyny görkezýän aşa ýalpyldawuk we örän döredijilikli eserlerdir. Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy ajaýyp, nusgalyk, üns çekiji derejede hünärmenlikli we çuňňur täzelikçi eser bolmagy garaşylýar. A' Design Award Kümüş Baýragyny gazanan bu dizaýn sungatyň, ylmyň, dizaýnyň we tehnologiýanyň çäklerine peýda berýän we ony öňe sürýän örän üns çekiji, haýran galynýan oýlap tapyşdyr. Imatra GIS Elektrik podstansiýasy köpüň gabanjyna sezewar bolýan, isleglerimizi oýarýan, oňyn duýgulary getirýän we haýranlyk we geň galmagy döredýän eserdir.
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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