Anssi Lassila Speaking at the South-North Architectural Dialogues

The wooden Temple of Bathing in the winter

Anssi Lassila will be speaking at the South-North Architectural Dialogues on March 14 and 15, 2023. The event is jointly organized by the Department of Architecture at the University of Oulu and the Department of Architecture at the Aalto University.

The symposium is part of a series of international lecture events at both the Oulu University and the Aalto University with an event in each on two consecutive days: in Linnanmaa, Oulu on Tuesday, March 14 and in Otaniemi, Espoo on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

The symposium is open to both the students and the general public. The program will be the same in both Oulu and Aalto. In Oulu, the event will take place at the Agora and in Aalto it will be held at the B-hall. Welcome to join the symposium either in Oulu, in the North, or in Otaniemi, in the South of Finland!

View showing the roof structure of the Temple of Bathing

Symposium on South-North Architectural Dialogues

Contrasts and Connections

The symposium brings together architects from the North and the South: Jenni Reuter of Ukumbi and Teemu Kurkela of JKMM from the South of Finland, Anssi Lassila of OOPEAA representing a more northern part of Finland, and Borja Sallago of Fidas as well as Antonio Ortiz of Cruz & Ortiz from Spain representing the South of Europe. In their lectures, they will reflect on the topic of Contrasts and Connections – South-North Architectural Dialogues.

Temple of Bathing, view with the stairs connecting the bath with the sauna

Dates and Locations

  • March 14, 2023 at the University of Oulu at the Agora, Oulu School of Architecture, Oulu University, Erkki Koiso-Kanttilankatu 1, Linnanmaa, Oulu
  • March 15, 2023 at the Aalto University in B-Hall, Otakaari 1, Otaniemi, Espoo

Program

  • 13:15 Opening words
  • 13:20 Architect, PhD Borja Sallago, FIDAS
  • 13:50 Architect, Teemu Kurkela, JKMM
  • 14:20 Architect, Professor Anssi Lassila, OOPEAA, Oulu University
  • 14:50 Architect, Professor Jenni Reuter, UKUMBI, Aalto University
  • 15:20 Break
  • 15:40 Architecture of Cruz & Ortiz by Borja Sallago
  • 17 Closing words
The Temple of Bathing under construction

Potential of Periphery

In his talk, Anssi Lassila will reflect on the power of a peripheral perspective as a potential position for initiating change. It is in the borderline where different aspects enter in dialogue with each other, in the margins where transformation can take shape and find a new form. Through looking at the process of the making of the Bathing Temple, a small wooden pavilion dedicated to the peaceful contemplation of nature and the soothing effect of being immersed in water, he will open a view into the poetics of architecture.

In his talk, Anssi Lassila will also address the question of scale which is at the heart of architecture. When the scale of projects changes, also the dynamics of the process of creating architecture change. Yet, architecture is always about skilfully managing the scale of the project, no matter what the scale. How could we move from the small scale to a larger scale without losing the connection with the scale of the human experience?

Bathing Temple, view of the bridge connecting the bath and the sauna

The Symposium is jointly organized by the Department of Architecture at the Oulu University and the Department of Architecture at the Aalto SAFA, the Finnish Association of Architects and ATL, the League of Architecture Offices in Finland.

For more information about the event, see HERE.