Antti Karsikas & Riikka Kuittinen

Architects Antti Karsikas and Riikka Kuittinen act as all-round professionals in the field of architecture working as designers, teachers and journalists. In addition to diverse design projects both also teach architectural engineering in the University of Oulu.

Antti Karsikas is a partner and one of the founders of Alt Architects, an architecture office operating in wide area of architectural design from residential houses to larger-scale public projects. One of their major design projects was Niemenranta School Center, of which first phase was completed in 2012.

The school building creates a synthesis of functionality and urban aesthetics. The main element of the external architecture, the curvy red brick wall, faces the public areas, whereas the rectangular and more punctual wooden facades encircle the courtyards on the other side. Also the prevailing climate has been taken into careful consideration in the design process. Small-scaled schoolyards are directed to the south for sunlight and the building shields itself from the cold northern breeze. Long and expressively shaped eaves provide protection from the harsh climate for both wooden facades and the children.

In 2011 Alt Architects participated in the international architecture competition for redesigning the Serlachius Art Museum in Mänttä, Finland. The team, consisting of Antti Karsikas, Kalle Vahtera and Ville-Pekka Ikola, was selected to the award category with their proposal entry Sola.

Riikka Kuittinen is a partner at LUO Architects, an architecture office with an emphasis on sustainable, ecological and energy-efficient design. In addition to working as architecture journalist, Kuittinen has previously run her own architecture studio and worked in several renowned architecture offices.

Alt Architects: http://www.alt-architects.com/

LUO Architects: http://u36033.shellit.info/