Young Nordic Architecture
Museum of Finnish Architecture, 05. 06 – 22. 09. 2013

The MFA’s summer exhibition is a two-part showing of contemporary work by young Nordic architects. It is an expanded version of the joint Nordic Light Houses exhibition curated for the Venice Biennale in summer 2012. Celebrating the jubilee of the iconic Nordic Pavilion designed fifty years ago by Sverre Fehn, the original version of the exhibition explored the Biennale’s shared theme, “common ground”. Thirty-two architects from Finland, Sweden and Norway – all born after 1962, the year the pavilion was designed – were invited to design a sculptural piece that both complements the modernist vocabulary of Fehn’s pavilion and encapsulates their office’s philosophy of architecture in a 3D form of pre-specified dimensions. In addition to bringing together this collection of projects, the exhibition literally created a common ground of discourse among Nordic architects.
The museum’s main gallery provides a fresh backdrop for this “polyphonic chorus” of sculptural pieces reflecting the wide spectrum of contemporary Nordic architecture. The dialogue between the 32 projects is just as intriguing as each individual piece. Rounding out the exhibits in the main gallery, the small gallery features a selection of other projects by the same young architectural offices, offering a broad cross-section of contemporary Nordic architecture. All told, the exhibition illustrates how new Nordic architects are pioneering exemplary approaches to dealing with today’s global challenges. The classic hallmarks of Nordic architecture – simplified form, frugal use of materials and sensitive treatment of daylight, the site and the natural setting – embody the core principles of responsible, sustainable architecture.
The exhibition will be on show at the the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design in autumn 2013.