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Lauttasaari Church is one of the landmarks of modern Finnish church architecture. Designed by architects Marja and Keijo Petäjä and completed 1958, it is protected by the church law as a landmark building. Prior to the renovation, the building with its impressive surrounding plaza and gardens had fallen into ill shape and was badly in need of repair. There was a need to bring the facilities up to contemporary standards to make it more functional. The church was originally designed as a "church and work center". In the renovation, the goal was to restore this original idea and to bring it up to contemporary standards. Changes to the original appearance were kept as minimal as possible. To enable internal connections between different parts of the complex, a small extension was created.
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The church building with its bell tower is located next to the highest point of Lauttasaari on the Myllykallio hill. It is connected to a beautiful, natural forest area on the west side. Taking its place in the intersection between blocks of residential buildings and the greenery of the forest, the church is visible from afar. With a carefully composed sequence of stairs leading up to it, the building complex wraps around an open plaza with a sculptural water fountain as a focal point in the center.
Respecting the design and spirit of the original building, new plantings were added to complement the existing ones on the yards around the church. The storm water systems were improved, the waterproofing of the fountain pool was renewed, and the yard surfaces were repaired where necessary.
In the renovation, the goal was to provide the community an openly accessible place for spontaneous gatherings. With an array of spaces that can be booked for meetings and activities, the renewed complex serves as a shared space for the entire community bringing people of all ages together. In the premises, there operates a music school and a kindergarten, and there are spaces for the youth to hang out. There are also rooms that can be booked for band practice. All spaces are designed to be accessible. In addition to strengthening the social sustainability of the neighborhood, also ecological sustainability was a key consideration in all aspects of the project from the careful restoration and reuse of existing furniture to the choice of materials wherever new additions were necessary.
The Lauttasaari Church project was the biggest renovation undertaking of the Helsinki parish in over 30 years. With minimal changes to the appearance of the landmark building and its surrounding plaza and park, a major imporvement in its functionality was achieved. The outcome is better functioning facilities for the local community. The building houses facilities for two congregations: the Lauttasaari congregation and the Swedish-speaking Johannes Församlingen. To serve the two congregations, the building has two church halls and parish halls. There are also club rooms, workspaces, and a sports hall. Based on a careful building historical inventory, the renovation focused on repairing the structures and bringing the building technology up to current standards. Electrical and air systems were updated, audio-visual technology was modernized, and the lighting was replaced with LED technology. The church was also made accessible and two elevators were built. Special attention was paid to improving functionality. The club wing was redesigned to provide facilities for a music school and small kindergarten. The scouts’ spaces were moved to the crypt. The church café got a small extension and a new kitchen. To enable internal connections between the club premises, the church cafeteria, and the parish hall, a small extension was discreetly created by moving the old outer wall structure. It now bridges the activities housed in the club wing together with the café and the parish hall.
“Lauttasaari church is not just a church, and it never was. It is much more than that” says the church vicar Juha Rintamäki. He notes that the original idea of the church as an active place has been successfully revived through the project. The church now operates according to a keys-for-parishioners principle. On the website, you can see what kinds of spaces the church has available and reserve a suitable one. You can work remotely at the church and even the organ loft has remote workstations.
Verstas Architects is an award-winning architectural practice founded by Väinö Nikkilä, Jussi Palva, Riina Palva and Ilkka Salminen in 2004. Numerous competition wins and acclaimed buildings have established Verstas as one of Finland’s leading architecture firms.
Our philosophy is to consider various perspectives to produce designs that are human-centered. We believe this to be the most sustainable approach to architecture that withstands time. Our team consists of 50 dedicated architects, urban designers, interior and landscape architects who are able to work at various scales from masterplanning down to intricate details. The name Verstas (meaning workshop) describes our methodology which entails close-knit work between clients and the project team to ensure a tailored final design. We enjoy working on demanding projects on highly sensitive sites and seeing them come together through skillful design.
