Imatra GIS

Electricity Substation for Virkkunen & Co Architects

The project is composed of an electricity substation building and five designer powerline structures, set in the national landscape of Imatrankoski rapids in Eastern Finland. Balance with the surrounding landscape has been the foremost goal of the design. The substation is a plain concrete structure clad over with a double-skin of hand-made long bricks laid in a zig-zag profile. The triangular motif of the brick cladding is repeated in the steel profiles of the new powerline structures. The design breaks apart aspects of the built context and reassembles them in a new abstracted form.

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Imatra GIS by Tuomas Kivinen

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Electricity Substation by Tuomas Kivinen

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Tuomas Kivinen Imatra GIS

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Tuomas Kivinen Electricity Substation

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Imatra GIS Electricity Substation Press Releases

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Imatra GIS Electricity Substation Media Articles

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Unique Properties

The project is composed of an electricity substation building and an array of five designer power pylons and terminals, set in the national landscape of Imatrankoski rapids in Eastern Finland. The new structures were designed to be in balance with the surrounding landscape. Their design breaks apart aspects of the built context and reassembles them in a new abstracted form. A combination of hand-made and industrial materials and structures is used to achieve this.

Tags

infrastructure, architecture, landscape, electricity substation, transmission, power line, brick, concrete, steel

Production Technology

The substation building has a concrete frame and double-skin facades. The outermost facade layer consists of hand-made long bricks laid in a zig-zag profile. The brick cladding is supported by a steel frame fixed to the inner concrete facades. The concrete structure consists of pre-fabricated and in-situ parts. The transmission structures are made of triangular welded steel profiles. They consist of workshop-made, coated pre-fabricated sections assembled and erected on the site without welding.

Design Challenge

The main challenge was architectural rather than technical, due to the qualities of the surrounding landscape and the history of the area. Visual and structural coherence of the distinct parts and general sensitivity to the context were methods for overcoming this challenge. We arrived at the final design through a process of elimination. Dozens of prototype 3D models were evaluated for impact in a detailed and accurate site model based on an extensive point-cloud data set of the area.

Project Duration

Project completed: 2020 Location: Imatra, Finland

Operation Flow

Imatra electricity substation and the transmission structures are not fenced off from the surroundings and they can be approached freely. The substation is an unmanned facility that is mainly remote-controlled from a central control room located off-site. It is visited regularly for inspection and maintenance purposes by trained personnel. In the main process equipment room, the users control the switchgear equipment on a workstation designed for this purpose.

Research

We used site visits and literature sources for determining visual and historical factors that would most influence and serve the design. Literature about the history of the landscape, tourism, architecture, and industry in the area was used. The finding that had the most impact on the design was based on the analysis of the external architecture of the old hydropower plant: the rhythm of the facade openings, and the materials used in the buildings.

Inspiration

The beautiful landscape and the historical significance of the area were the primary sources of inspiration for us. The existing, impressive industrial architecture of the context was another major factor in the design. The guiding principle has been that the new structures should form a clearly defined new historical layer. They would also have to be timeless and combine harmoniously with the context. We sought to further elevate the beauty of the site.

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2020. Image #2: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021. Image #3: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2020. Image #4: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021. Image #5: Photographer Tuomas Kivinen, 2021.

Project Overview

Imatra GIS Electricity Substation has been a Silver winner in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design award category in the year 2020 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Silver Recognition

Tuomas Kivinen was recognized with the coveted Silver A' Design Award in 2021, a testament to excellence of their work Imatra GIS Electricity Substation.

Tuomas Kivinen Press Releases

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Imatra GIS: A Stunning Electricity Substation Project in Eastern Finland

Imatra GIS, an electricity substation project designed by Tuomas Kivinen, beautifully integrates into the national landscape of Imatrankoski rapids in Eastern Finland, completed in 2020.

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