The Museum of Finnish Architecture starts on February 27, 2008 an exhibition on the work of famous Finnish architects Raili and Reima Pietilä, who became great advocates of modern architecture throughout the 20th century.

One of the great names of Finnish 20th-century architecture, Pietilä rose to international fame when the established principles of modernism began to be questioned in the 1960s and 1970s. Raili (born 1926) and Reima (1923-1993) Pietilä emphasize organic form and natural morphology, and their work is markedly distinctive from the mainstream of the latter half of the century.

They created signature buildings experimenting with new forms, such as Dipoli in Espoo (1966), Main City Library in Tampere (1986) and the Presidents¹s Residence in Helsinki (1993). Reima Pietilä was also an acute architectural theorist actively contributing to the discussion on the future of modernism in Finland as well as abroad.

The exhibition will be using original drawings to present the work of the husband and wife team in the form of some previously unseen designs and others that have attained iconic status in the history of architecture. A host of sketches will show, in a fascinating way, how in their search for design solutions every possible alternative is of equal value to start with, until eventually, the buildings acquire their final forms – forms which stretch the boundaries of modern architecture. The various models will give the visitor an opportunity to observe, for example, how the architecture of the President’s Official Residence, Mäntyniemi (1983–93), evolved from the competition-winning proposal to the finished building.

A book entitled Raili ja Reima Pietilä. Modernin arkkitehtuurin haastajat (Raili and Reima Pietilä. Challenging Modern Architecture) (in Finnish) is being published in conjunction with the exhibition.

Exhibition runs from February 27 till May 25, 2008 at the

Museum of Finnish Architecture
Kasarmikatu 24
FIN-00130 Helsinki