The newest issue of the Finnish Architectural Review addresses two topical themes: the Guggenheim Helsinki architectural competition, which gained a lot of media coverage during the summer, and the current domestic boom in school building, of which two impressive cases are presented.Guggenheim Helsinki is a unique urban design and museum project due to its enormous media visibility. The issue launches an extensive presentation of the winning entry by architects Hiroko Kusunoki and Nicolas Moreau.It also gives a voice to the architects themselves, but at the same time presents critical reviews of the scheme from two foreign architecture critics.New Finnish school buildings are no longer merely pedagogical institutions but multipurpose buildings full of activities from morning till evening. Schools are developing into weekday cultural centres for their city districts. Kastelli in Oulu is a community centre as well as a combination of schools serving different age groups, a daycare centre and an adult-education centre, while Opinmäki School in Espoo also includes a library, sports hall and youth facilities accessible to the whole community.Two of the buildings presented in the issue, Opinmäki SchoolandKangasala Arts Centre, were nominated for this year’s Finlandia Prize for Architecture.
