Edit Bajsz

Working for two major Finnish architectural offices, LPR Architects based in Turku, and JKMM Architects based in Helsinki, Edit Bajsz has been both a project architect and an assistant architect in several significant cultural and residential projects – many of which have gained notable amount of media coverage.

During the last ten years, Bajsz has worked on re-shaping the material frame of institutions such as the Helsinki Music Center and the Shanghai World Expo, where she was involved in planning and executing the well-received proposal by the JKMM Architects for the Finnish Pavilion Kirnu. Additionally, she has participated in a number of projects related to special housing, such as the Turku prison, a homeless shelter and an orphanage. The scope of Bajsz’s expertise does seem to cover very humane sides of architecture: cultural heritage as well as the ones in need.

Bajsz is also interested in planning learning environments for children and she has taken part in numerous architectural competitions for school buildings. At the moment, she is immersed in the realization of the Kalasatama block house, in the process of which she has been involved since the competition phase. Currently, there are a day-care center and two of the first school grades situated in the building, but it has been composed to house the entirety of the elementary school.

During her one-month residency in February in New York, Bajsz is going to explore how the local school environment is reacting to the changes taking place in learning, teaching and the structure of lessons. Bajsz is going to gather material for the Kalasatama block house by making excursions to those schools in New York that have been awarded for their pioneering and innovative facilities. In addition to mere observation and documentation, she is also planning on conducting user interviews, thereby deepening her knowledge on designing better learning environments even further.