Place your bets: The shortlist for the 2015 Finlandia Prize for architecture has been announced

A view of a building outside with trees — The Puukuokka housing block was completed in 2014 in Jyvaskyla. It was designed by OOPEAA, headed by Anssi Lassila.

(Image credit: TBC)

This is only the second year that the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) awards the Finlandia Prize for Architecture, but the distinction has already been gathering pace. The coveted prize, whose first ever recipients were Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects for their copper and glass-clad Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, has just announced its highly anticipated 2015 shortlist.

Five projects have been nominated for the award: the Kangasala Arts Centre by Heikkinen-Komonen Architects; the Merenkulkijanranta residential block in Lauttasaari, Helinski by Architects NRT; OKOBANK office building in Vallila, Helsinki by JKMM Architects; the Opinmaki school complex in Espoo by Esa Ruskeepaa Architects; and the Puukuokka block of flats in the suburb of Kuokkala in Jyvaskyla by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture.

Presented to a new or renovation project that excels in the field of architecture and design, the Finlandia Prize honours great architecture in Finland - be it by a local or foreign practice - and great Finnish architecture abroad.

Promoting high quality architecture in the country, this is a shortlist of some of Finland's best architectural additions of the past three years. The winner will be announced later this year.

A view of a building inside — The development's simple interiors are painted white in the generous common areas and circulation spaces

A view of a building inside doorways and winows — The structure's timber frame is left visible in various places both in the apartments and the circulation spaces

A view of a building outside with snow — The building is the first structure to reach completion in a complex of three

A view of a buildings, trees and water off the coast — Merenkullkijanranta is the shortlist's second residential development, this time located in the district of Lauttasaari in Helsinki and designed by Architects NRT

A view of a building outside with water and cruise ship in the distance — Completed earlier in the year, the housing development interacts dynamically with its natural environment

A view of a buildings outside — A simple material palette features copper and white rendering

A view of a building inside with sofa and fireplace — The apartments are arranged so that they make the most of the water views

A view of a building outside — Inaugurated in January 2015, the Kangasala Arts Centre was designed by Heikkinen-Komonen Architects. It features patinated concrete facades that mimic a rusty hue. The building includes a multi-purpose auditorium for music, theatre, film and other performance events

A view of a building inside sofas and stairs — The new Opinmaki school complex in Espoo was designed by Esa Ruskeepaa Architects

A view of a building inside looking at the entrance — Apart from the learning spaces, the complex also includes a library, a sports hall, an adult education centre and a youth centre

A view of a building outside looking upwards the glass panes — Located in Helsinki, the new headquarters building for OKOBANK was designed by Finland's JKMM Architects and completed in 2015

A view of a building outside with stairs going down — The architects redesigned an existing city block into offices, adding on a new-built section. A glazed internal courtyard defines the design.

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).