Finnish practice Verstas Architects has created a circular timber pavilion at Helsinki's South Harbour, forging a connection between the city and the nearby island of Vallisaari.
Verstas Architects built the pavilion to serve as an entry point to the Helsinki Biennial art festival, which was held on Vallisaari island from June to September 2021, and it has now become a permanent addition to the city.
The Helsinki Biennial Pavilion is a circular timber structure located at the city's South Harbour. Photo by Pyry Kantonen
Tickets for the Biennial are sold from the pavilion, which sits at Lyypekinlaituri, South Harbour, and the ferry to the island of Vallisaari departs from an adjoining pier.
The pavilion's shape and materiality reference the natural landscape of Vallisaari as well as the sea between it and Helsinki. The pavilion is made of timber and was assembled in situ from prefabricated modules. Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo
The circular shape is a nod to Vallisaari's ponds and "giant's kettles" pothole formations, while the timber walls are meant to recall the island's cliffs as well as the hulls of old wooden ships, some of which can be seen moored at South Harbour.
The pavilion features an inner courtyard paved with what looks from a distance like stone but, on closer inspection, prove to be crosscut logs.
The pavilion's inner courtyard is paved with silver-hued crosscut logs. Photo by Pyry Kantonen
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