Nordic Waterscapes Highlighted in the February Issue of a+u

Lonna Island with a sauna in the forefront and the city in the background

Nordic Waterscapes is the focus of the February 2025 issue of a+u magazine. Two OOPEAA projects, Lonna Sauna and Periscope Tower, are included in the selection that highlights architectural strategies for maintaining and enhancing our relationship to the natural environment.

Presenting 19 projects from Nordic countries, the current issue of a+u reflects on the point of connection between water, architecture, and people. The showcased examples explore diverse pursuits, from the rehabilitation of industrial ports into lively urban centers, to questions of accessibility and the extension of habitable space onto and into bodies of water.

People on a wooden observation deck viewing the sunset over the lake in the winter

Relationship with Water as Part of Life in the City

In an essay addressing the theme of waterscapes, Anssi Lassila draws attention to the potential of architectural interventions in transforming urban waterfront areas into mediating zones that help improve resilience in the city. With careful planning they can be harnessed to facilitate a new level of flexibility of uses while also creating an intermediary area that can function as a buffer zone in case of extreme weather conditions. With the help of architecture and design, it is possible to transform the waterfront areas currently occupied by technical functions, infrastructure and industry into active places that provide a pleasant environment for people with access to water.

A wooden sauna by the sea with a dog standing on the terrace

Lonna Sauna – Counterbalancing the Hectic Tempo of Urban Life

Lonna Sauna provides an example of how the transformation of the uses of the small islands in the archipelago around Helsinki has opened new opportunities for providing people in city access to the experience of water as an invigorating element that can help counterbalance the impact of the hectic tempo of urban life.

Built solely with natural materials, the Lonna Sauna is made of handcrafted wooden logs and the interior furnishings are made of larch. Heated with wood-burning stoves, the sauna recreates the calm feeling of the traditional Finnish sauna. The sculptural pitched roof, in turn, places the sauna in a new, contemporary architectural frame. Up on the sauna loft, large windows open a view into the archipelago. A terrace facing out to the sea bridges the sauna with the seashore and makes it possible to go swimming in the sea directly from the sauna.

On the Lonna Island, the man-made meets the natural and enters into dialogue with it. The unique natural features of the island create a special atmosphere adding a new aspect to the experience of an urban public sauna. On the border between urban and nature, between the busy life of the city and the open landscapes on the sea, it brings together the calming and peaceful experience of the sauna ritual and the social aspect of the public sauna as a gathering place for people.

A project description and images on the Lonna Sauna can be found HERE.

A wooden observation tower with a gigantic periscope on the lake shore in the winter

Periscope Tower – Activating the Dam around a Man-Made Lake

The Periscope Tower is  an observation tower built on the shore of a man-made lake and a dam created to mitigate the impact of seasonal flooding on the lowlands of Ostrobothnia in Finland. The dam is really a functional piece of technical infrastructure constructed to improve resilience in the area. With the Periscope Tower, it has now been harnessed to recreational use and provides an opportunity for people to experience the presence of water as part of the landscape.

The Periscope Tower is a giant wooden periscope structure that serves as an observation tower and engages the visitor in a dialogue with the landscape. With the help of a large mirror, the Periscope Tower makes it possible for everyone to enjoy the views of the surrounding landscape as they appear when looking out from the top level of the tower. One can either climb up to enjoy the view over the lake and into the surrounding landscape from the viewing deck, or simply stay on the ground and get the view through the periscope mirror.

The Periscope Tower is part of a larger landscape design project for reshaping the lakeshore. The aim is to activate the dam around the man-made lake and to turn it into a recreational area connected to a broader network of recreational paths designed to be accessible to everyone.

A project description and images on the Periscope Tower can be found HERE.

Detail of the wooden structure of the periscope tower

Architecture and Urbanism

a+u – Architecture and Urbanism – is an architectural magazine in Japanese and English that provides information on architecture around the world to a global readership. It is Japan’s only monthly periodical dedicated to disseminating information on architecture around the world. a+u has been widely and actively read by the architecture community since its inaugural issue in 1971. The magazine’s research network covers more than 100 countries.

a+u features in-depth reporting on architects and firms in various countries. Each issue is edited from a unique perspective to deliver the most important designs and projects. In addition, essays penned by architects, critics and historians guide the direction of tomorrow’s architecture, greatly influencing the industry inside and outside Japan.

For more information, visit https://au-magazine.com/