Suvela Chapel featured in Architectural Record

The Suvela Chapel by OOPEAA is featured in the January issue of Architectural Record in an article written by Peter MacKeith, Dean and Professor of Architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. 

Describing the approach of the OOPEAA to creating architecture MacKeith writes: “OOPEAA’s multiple commissions demonstrate a strong commitment to building well in the harsh Finnish climate, with distinct material quality, and within budgetary and other constraints. Copper was selected for its long, maintenance-free lifespan and its ability to clad an entire exterior, both walls and roof. … The eventual green patina over the untreated surface is seen by the architect as a desirable sign of age.”

MacKeith applauds the result of the design process for its engagement in a dialogue with the community in a series of searching conversations over many months in order to create a welcoming and accessible space. He writes: “Suvela Chapel’s fitting of form to purpose and its attention to design fundamentals achieve a dignified urban presence. The engaged process of its making, while less visible or material, is perhaps equally substantial: the built work has activated both the sacred and secular life of that community. To paraphrase the architect: in Finland, what else should a church be?”

Read the full article in Architectural Record HERE.

More information and images on the Suvela Chapel can be found HERE.