The Finnish Institute in Japan has been awarded a 60 000 euro project grant together with the Suomi/Koivisto architects to produce the Alusta pavilion in Tokyo. The project, funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, continues until the end of 2026.
The project aims to develope ecological building solutions by adapting the award-winning Alusta Pavilion to the Japanese context.
“Alusta is a practical environmental act that will enhance the biodiversity of the urban environment, enable multispecies encounters, and promote the well-being of humans and other species. At the same time, it is a visible poetic example of the changing relationship with nature,” says architect Maiju Suomi, the Alusta Pavilion’s chief designer.
“The platform will create new forms of multidisciplinary research cooperation between Finland and Japan, committed to the principles of sustainable development. The platform and participatory processes will promote environmental discussion and education among citizens of different ages in Finland and Japan, and develop educational cooperation between the two countries,” says Jaakko Nousiainen, Director of the Finnish Institute in Japan. ‘The project will increase the visibility and impact of Finnish architecture and its research, as well as expertise in the field of sustainability’, continues Mr Nousiainen.
The project will promote the export and impact of Finnish architecture and highlight the leadership of Finnish architecture in addressing global sustainability issues. The project will also expand international networks and multidisciplinary cooperation in the field, strengthen biodiversity in nature and create further replicable models and practices to support biodiversity in densely built cities.
In Tokyo’s Alusta Pavilion Japanese materials and vegetation will be used in collaboration with local partners, including Waseda University.
Contact:
Jaakko Nousiainen, Director, Finnish Institute in Japan, jaakko.nousiainen@finstitute.jp
Maiju Suomi, architect, Suomi/Koivisto archtitects, PhD researcher, Aalto University maiju@suomikoivisto.fi
