project : Kurikka town hall / 2024
type : International One Stage Open Competition
location : Kurikka - Finland
program : Culture - Office
area : 4.000 m²
Inclusive dualities
<Inclusive Dualities> bases its concept on the fact that a population of 20000 people means a stronger bond with the community and any public building should enhance this relationship. The new town hall is a safe and inclusive cultural catalyst where residents and employees mix through the day in a hybrid typology. Various dichotomies coexist in a calming yet vibrant public entity that will enliven the city center all year round. Kurikka’s new town hall invites everyone in the community and the further surroundings to actively participate in the now and open up to the future possibilities.
On typologies & timeless subtlety
Diverging from the notion of a ‘polished’ building, <Inclusive Dualities> offers an inclusive public space, open to all, easy to grasp and relate to. Aligned with the building’s purpose and the urban context, the design aims for the ideal of timeless architecture and utilizes straightforward shapes and impactful architectural gestures. Light and views play an important part in shaping the volumes and a subtle sculptural form reaches an urban balance with the church as a public building of equal importance which make its own respectful statement in the town center. Through an extensive exploration of vital dichotomies - permanent versus temporary, light versus heavy, open versus closed, horizontal versus vertical - the town hall desires to strike an architectural balance that resonates with its natural surroundings and the community it serves. <Inclusive Dualities> gets its name from the two typologies that are implied from the building program, on the one hand an office space and on the other a public cultural space. The ring that houses the office spaces promotes simplicity, maximum natural light and ventilation, extensive views to nature/green and flexibility. The main building houses the common functions and promotes familiar formality and evokes a cultural centre feeling.