Puuhi, the New Community Space in Soini is Now Open

Puuhi is a space for informal encounters and vibrant cultural activity in the village of Soini, Finland. Commissioned by the local people of the Ostrobothnian village, it offers a place for the community to come together in an informal and relaxed setting to enjoy music and art in the company of others. The active agent behind the project is Kyläpääskyt ry, a community association founded in 2008 by the people of Soini. They chose to ask Anssi Lassila of OOPEAA to create them a building to serve as a place in which people can come together to create, present and enjoy art and culture in its many forms ranging from music to theater and the fine arts. As a native of Soini, Anssi Lassila was a natural choice and he gladly accepted the job of creating a space of culture and community for the people of the village in which he grew up and in which he still spends his weekends and summers in a house that he has built on the grounds of his family farm.

Puuhi is built with local materials and it was realized in close collaboration with Aki Alatalo, a local carpenter with a special skill in working with wood. The foundation of the building is made of stone recycled from a former school building in the area and the building itself is entirely made of wood. The space is deliberately open and it can be adapted for many different kinds of uses. In the summer time the space can be opened up to extend out to the yard. The atmosphere of the wooden building is warm and informal and the acoustical qualities of the space are excellent. This past weekend, Puuhi served as the opening venue of the annual Soinillinen Music and Gastronomy Festival in Soini.

For more information on the festival, see https://www.soinillinen.fi/festivaali-2019