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Two Finnish winners in the 2014 A+ Awards

A Awards ALAK2 S

Finnish architecture has received two prizes in the 2014 international Architizer A+  Awards competition. Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand, Norway by ALA Architects was the Jury Winner in the Theatres & Performing Arts Centers category. Arctia Headquarters in Helsinki, Finland by K2S Architects was the Popular Choice Winner in the Office Building Low Rise (1-4 Floors) category. Both prizes add to the continuum of recent international success of Finnish contemporary architecture.Architizer is a New York based, open online database of international architecture and design.  In its second year, the 2014 Architizer A+ Awards competition received entries to more than 60 categories from more than 100 countries. The international jury consisted of more than 200 leading lights of the industry such as Liz Diller, Steven Holl and Bjarke Ingels. The jury chose 5 finalists in each category; the online public voting for the Popular Choice Winner was held in March. The 2014 A+ Awards Gala will be held in New York in May 2014.Kilden was completed in January 2012 and it is designed by Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta and Samuli Woolston with their workgroup. ALA Architects won the State Prize for Architecture in 2012. ALA's current projects include the schematic design of the Helsinki Central Library and some high profile renovation projects such as the Pietilä-designed Finnish Embassy in New Delhi, and the Norwegian Embassy in Helsinki.[caption id="attachment_837" align="aligncenter" width="618"]Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand, Norway (ALA Architects 2012). Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo. Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand, Norway (ALA Architects 2012). Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo.[/caption]The floating office for Arctia Shipping was completed in summer 2013 and it is designed by Kimmo Lintula, Niko Sirola and Mikko Summanen. K2S Architects has gained recognition for their recent design for the wooden chapel in Kamppi, Helsinki and for their several winning proposals in Finnish architectural competitions.[caption id="attachment_779" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Arctia Headquarters by K2S Architects (Helsinki, Finland, 2013). Photo: Mika Huisman. Arctia Headquarters by K2S Architects (Helsinki, Finland, 2013). Photo: Mika Huisman.[/caption]The A+ Awards for ALA and K2S add to the continuum of recent international success of Finnish contemporary architecture. Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki won the international architectural competition for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in 2005. The building was completed in 2012. In January 2014, PES Architects won an international design competition for the Fuzhou Cultural Centre in China.More information about A+ Awards: awards.architizer.com/winners. More information about ALA Architects: www.ala.fi. More information about K2S Architects: www.k2s.fi.