OOPEAA receives shared third place in the competition for Ylivieska Church

The open architecture competition for the new Ylivieska Church was organized by the Ylivieska parish and it was open to participants in Finland and the rest of the European Union. The assignment was to design a new church to be built after the old wooden church from 1786 was lost in a fire in 2016. The competition site is located in the center of the town of Ylivieska in a landscape of cultural and historical value by the Kalajoki river.

OOPEAA’s entry ‘Kooda’ received a shared third place in the competition. Out of a total of 214 entries, seven were nominated for prizes: in addition to one winning entry, two entries received a shared third place and four received honorary mentions. No second prize was awarded. A total amount of 75 000 euros was given out to the winners in shares varying according to placement.

The assignment was to create a functional concept of high architectural quality for a church building and a parish hall that works well in harmony with the surrounding landscape and offers potential for further development of the area while also serving as a landmark for the town.

In addition to designing a new church that resonates with the tradition of Christian church building, the competition assignment also included the task of addressing the surrounding landscape with the ruins of the burnt down old church, the graveyard for war heroes and the parkland around the church. The assignment also asked to take into consideration the traffic arrangements serving the needs of the visitors as well as maintenance and service needs for the church and the parish.

Kooda, the entry by OOPEAA was judged by the jury to manifest a high level of professional quality with its simple and strong church building with a saddle roof and a tall, sharp and slender belfry standing on pillars.

The jury for the competition was composed of six representatives of the parish as well as four architects, two of them nominated by the Finnish Association of Architects.

For more information on the competition for the New Ylivieska Church, see – place a hyperlink to the competition documents here.

For more information on Kooda, the competition entry by OOPEAA, see the project description here.