Hannu Tikka

Architect Hannu Tikka is a genuine all-rounder in his field. During his career Tikka has designed both private homes and public spaces ranging from specific-purpose solutions to versatile multipurpose buildings.

Tikka’s latest completed project is KoKo House, a prototype for a wooden single-family detached home, designed in collaboration with his colleague Tapio Anttila. Consisting of three different-sized living and additional space units that can be combined into nine different solutions, KoKo House is a dwelling concept acknowledging the need for flexibility in family housing.

The architecture of KoKo House draws inspiration from the Scandinavian wooden houses of the 1950s, in which the fireplace serves as the heart of the home. In Tikka’s and Anttila’s model the fireplace works as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable source of heating, simultaneously providing the house with a core around which the ground floor can be built.

In addition to his experience in designing private housing, Tikka’s expertise lies in public architecture. One of his most important projects was a concert and congress centre designed in collaboration with Kimmo Lintula for Lahti City. The building’s foundation was formed by the pre-existing industrial brick buildings on the site, which were then combined with new wooden elements. The building named after the Finnish Composer Jean Sibelius rose on the Vesijärvi waterfront in 2000.

Sibelius Hall was the biggest wooden building project executed in Finland in over a hundred years. The choice of material was inspired by the calming nature of Finnish forests, and their profound influence in the surrounding culture. Trees have not only provided an ancient source of raw materials and nutrition; many people in Finland can project both shared myths and personal memories on the woods.

Hannu Tikka works at APRT international studio for architecture, city planning and design. He is also the Professor and the Head of the School of Architecture in Tampere University of Technology.

http://www.aprt.fi/