MFA Friday Clip: Finnish Architecture – Review 2020: Serpentine House Renovation

MFA Friday Clip series presents videos of the latest biennial review projects. This week's theme: Serpentine House Renovation by Kati Salonen & Mona Schalin Architects.

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SERPENTINE HOUSE RENOVATION Helsinki, Finland, 2018
Kati Salonen & Mona Schalin Architects

Serpentine House, comprising two residential buildings, as well as a service building, is one of the most significant representatives of modern architecture in Helsinki, carried out in order to facilitate the housing shortage during the post-war reconstruction period. The buildings also had a notable social dimension, as they were blocks of rental flats owned by the City.

Serpentine House has many such qualities that were considered to be important in post-war so- ciety: the maximum number of dwellings per storey landing was three, the rooms had to be filled with natural light, and the location of the buildings, with respect to directions and vistas, were of key importance. Still today, the dimensioning of the rooms is adequate. Even though there was a shortage of all building materials, the technical solutions are excellent. The buildings represent high-quality housing – the basic principles remain valid today.

The current demands and attitudes towards housing and construction posed a large challenge for the architects. However, when starting this project, there was a consensus amongst the design team, the client and the authorities, respecting the architectural features of the building. The structural and technical solutions are typical of the construction period and improvements were carried out in a discreet way, without altering the building physical qualities of the house. The deficiencies in natural ventilation have been fixed by improving the supply of replacement air,
the damages on the outer surfaces of the external walls have been repaired and the rainwater has been directed away from the structures with the help of flashings. The existing original elements, such as windows, have been restored to the extent possible. The necessary new windows have been made in accordance with the original model. Thanks to the selected renovation method, the dimensions and the design have retained their original appearance. The original atmosphere can still be sensed.

Text: Kirsi Korhonen / Jury 2020

Video: Jonni Roos, Raimo Uunila
Camera: Raimo Uunila, Atte Henriksson
Editing: Raimo Uunila, Camilla Siren
Editor: Jonni Roos
Production: Uuden Avaaja, Grape Prodictions
Subtitles: Museum of Finnish Architecture
Translation: Translatinki Oy

The Finnish Architecture. Biennial Review 2020 exhibition is open until February 28, 2021 in Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki.