Topping out of the New Tikkurila Church on March 4, 2020

We are happy to celebrate the topping out of the New Tikkurila Church today on March 4, 2020. The construction is progressing on schedule and the church is slated to be ready at the end of this year. It is commissioned by the Vantaa Parishes and realized as an alliance project together with the Vantaa Parishes, OOPEAA and Lujatalo.

Centrally located in Tikkurila, the new church building will form an identifying landmark for the neighborhood. It will have a strong presence in the streetscape. The multifunctional building is easily accessible by public transportation as well as by foot and by bicycle. Offering a range of flexibly adaptable spaces to accommodate a variety of uses, it will serve the community in many ways. In its maximum capacity, the main church hall will seat an audience of 500, and it will be possible to divide the space in different ways to allow for multiple simultaneous activities when needed. There will be workspace for up to 143 employees of the parish, and several meeting spaces of various sizes to serve the needs of the community. There will also be a café, a children’s corner, and a shop area. In the summer months, the yard of the church will provide a pleasant space for gatherings.

The personal experience of people has been an essential starting point for the architecture of the New Tikkurila Church. The human scale, accessibility, and life cycle sustainability have been central guiding principles in the design. The shape and the scale of the building follow these key principles. Around the entrances, the scale is lower and more moderate, making them inviting and approachable. It grows bigger and taller in the part containing the main church hall, reaching up high towards the light that enters into the space in a delicately subtle manner. In the interiors, the atmosphere is cozy and relaxed. In the choice of materials, longevity plays an important role. Burnt brick is one of the main materials used in the exterior, and dark roof tiles give character to the slanted roof. The chosen materials will age well and acquire a beautiful patina over time.

You can follow the process on the blog “Tikkurilan taivaan alla” at http://tikkurilantaivaanalla.blogspot.com/. The blog is in Finnish.

You can find more information on the New Tikkurila Church HERE.