Samuli Miettinen

Architect Samuli Miettinen’s projects have often included designing for the public sector. Taking part in creating of libraries and kindergartens, Miettinen has been effective in the formation of public and communal spaces across Finland. He is a partner at the Helsinki-based JKMM Architectural Studio, operating in all areas of architectural design from furniture to larger-scale design processes. 

One of JMKK’s most recent projects was The Children’s House for Espoo City. The building comprises a kindergarten and a children’s health centre set over two storeys. The starting point for choices of the materials and colors in the interior design was inspired by the surrounding nature. Wood has been used diversely in the flooring, walls and windows, and combined with carpet to create acoustic and decorative elements.

Viikki church completed in 2005 was JKMM’s winning entry to an invitational competition. The church complex is composed of the local congregation’s church and congregation halls as well as an office and a communal space. Wood was chosen for the main material in order to create a holistic, warm atmosphere. As a material wood embodies many metaphorical meanings, which is why the designer team thought it was an ideal choice for a modern church building. Its character is deeply humane and warm, and its structure makes it versatile and easy to work on. “The wooden church space aims to make visible what is beyond words,” the designer team explains.

JKMM’s current projects include working on a Music Hall project for the City of Jyväskylä. The starting point of the design is to create a “shoe box hall” for an audience of 1000 people and a nearly full-blown orchestra. The metal façade of the building comes alive in the townscape with its pliable form and lighting shifting according to the changes of season.

Miettinen spent July 2014 in the Institute’s artist-in-residence program in New York, exploring the city’s architecture and finding new ideas and inspiration for developing JMKK’s future projects.

http://www.jkmm.fi/