Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 10

Armstrong says that he is in awe of the intellectual and creative capital inherent in the
pocket-sized metropolis and is especially
glad that the “innovation university” Aalto
is off to a great start. Named after the Finnish architect-designer icon Alvar Aalto, the
new-comer has caused quite a buzz internationally as well.
“The Aalto University is a great model for all the world in the arena of higher
education,” Armstrong describes the entity
combining design, business end engineering
prowess. He believes that Aalto has managed to cut through so much red tape in order to establish a real blueprint for creativity.
“It is a fantastic experiment that is constantly looking forward.”
Armstrong sees Guggenheim as a natural continuation of this branching-out process. He says that it is no longer news to anyone that Helsinki is among the world leaders when it comes to cutting-edge innovation and thinking way out of the box, but
there is still so much more Helsinki could
accomplish:
“Helsinki has given the world such
dominant visions in the fields of architecture and design and the impact of all that has
been huge. Now it is possible to take another
step,” he argues, calling Helsinki extremely well-positioned to take full advantage of
the emerging opportunities.

Get Competitive
And while trying its very best to win the
Helsinki decision-makers over, Guggenheim
threw in a carrot that proved to be impossible to resist: a world-class architectural contest. That carrot was made especially tempting as starchitect Frank Gehry expressed an
interest in participating in the contest – even
though the maestro has shown an aversion
for open contests as such.
The man who created perhaps the most
brilliant Guggenheim building – the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
– is obviously held in high regard by the organisation. Armstrong has a long-standing
relationship with the 84-year-old architect
and confirms that Gehry has a special place
for Finland in his heart.
“Part of that probably has to do with
him growing up in Toronto, with a lot of
Finnish immigrants in the neighbourhood,”
Armstrong believes. Gehry himself has said
that he saw Alvar Aalto give a lecture while
still in high school and that was a life-altering experience for him. “The Finnish Connection” has only strengthened along the
years, as Gehry has become great friends
with composer Esa-Pekka Salonen.

May the Best Man Win
But how does the prospect of having the
legendary architect attend the Guggenheim
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Nordicum

Photos: Helsinki City Planning Departmtent

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