Location: Vantaa, Finland.

Architect: Olla.

The power station in Vantaa, Finland is located at a highly visible location and transmits electricity to 800,000 residents of Vantaa and Helsinki. The architectonic concept of the power station is inspired by electricity and light, and the building volumes and plan configurations follow functional requirements without setting any strict boundaries. The transformer building is made of naturally coloured graphic concrete and glass, with cladding elements assembled from glass planks detached 600 mm from the main volume. The interstice is illuminated in the evening, making the building look like a lantern. The high arch-shaped landscape portal is made of Corten steel tubes with a diameter of 800 mm, and its natural and warm rusty colour resonates harmoniously with the other façade. The switchgear room and its cable space occupy the largest spaces in the 3-storey concrete-framed GIS building, and other technical facilities are distributed over three floors on the building’s southern side. The power station has been transformed from a greyish and nondescript transformer building to a gleaming lantern and an approximately 50 metre-high classically arch-shaped icon for the area.

Photo credit: Mika Huisman, Decopic.