Espoo is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately 319,000. It is the 2nd most populous municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.6 million inhabitants. Espoo is on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland and borders Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi. The city includes the enclave of Kauniainen. Espoo covers an area of 528 square kilometres (204 sq mi). Espoo is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 70% Finnish speakers, 6% Swedish speakers, and 24% speakers of other languages, well above the national average.
Tapiola is a district of the municipality of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo. It is located in the western part of Helsinki capital region. The name Tapiola is derived from Tapio, who is the forest god of Finnish mythology, especially as expressed in the Kalevala.
Hyvinkää Church, also known as The New Church of Hyvinkää, is a modernist church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, located in the town of Hyvinkää, Finland. It was designed by architect Aarno Ruusuvuori and built in 1961.
Aarno Emil Ruusuvuori was a Finnish architect, professor and director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture. He studied at the Helsinki University of Technology, completing his studies in 1951.
Tapiolan urheilupuisto is a sports park in the Tapiola district of Espoo, Finland. The park includes several sports halls and football pitches, as well as the multipurpose Espoo Metro Areena. The Urheilupuisto metro station, which connects the park to the Länsimetro, was opened in 2017.
The Espoo Cultural Centre is a culture centre in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland. It is most famous for hosting the central library of Tapiola. Near the culture centre is the Tapiola swimming pool and the Tapiola Garden hotel.
Urheilupuisto (Finnish) or Idrottsparken (Swedish) is an underground metro station in Espoo on the Länsimetro extension of Helsinki metro. The station is located in western Tapiola, at the northern edge of Jousenpuisto Park and south of the Tapiolan Urheilupuisto. A 790-space car park was built next to the metro station and offers elevator access to the station.
The architecture of Finland has a history spanning over 800 years, and while up until the modern era the architecture was highly influenced by Sweden, there were also influences from Germany and Russia. From the early 19th century onwards influences came directly from further afield: first when itinerant foreign architects took up positions in the country and then when the Finnish architect profession became established.
Kaleva Church is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland church building in the Liisankallio district of Tampere, Finland. It was designed by Reima and Raili Pietilä and built in 1964–66. The church accommodates approximately 1,120 people. It is considered an example of modern architectural style and is one of the main sights of Tampere.
The Tapiola swimming pool is a swimming pool centre in the district of Tapiola in Espoo, Finland. The centre was designed by Aarne Ervi and built in 1965. The building was renovated by Arkkitehdit NRT, and the renovation was completed in the 2000s. The renovation included an extension of the centre's premises, including steam saunas, jacuzzis, and a gym. In 2008, the centre was awarded the European Union Europa Nostra award for successful renovation.
The WeeGee house, officially The WeeGee Exhibition Centre, is the former printing house of the Weilin+Göös publishing house situated on Ahertajantie in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland. The first two phases of the building were designed by architect Aarno Ruusuvuori and completed in 1964 and 1967. Nowadays, the protected building serves as the largest exhibition centre in Finland. The entirety of the exhibition centre was opened for the public in October 2006.
Otaniemi Chapel is a Lutheran chapel located in the Otaniemi campus of Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.
Kannonkoski Church is a Lutheran church in Kannonkoski, Finland. The church was designed by Pauli E. Blomstedt and represents Functionalism architecturally. The church was built in 1937–1938. Blomstedt never saw his church finished: he died in 1935 and the church was finished according to instructions by his wife, architect Märta Blomstedt, and architect Matti Lampén.
Church of the Three Crosses is a Lutheran church located in Kaukopää, Imatra, Finland. The church was designed by Alvar Aalto and completed in 1958. It is said to be Aalto's most original church design. The church gets its name from the three crosses at the altar.
Lakeuden Risti Church is a Lutheran church located in Seinäjoki, Finland. The church was designed by Alvar Aalto and built between 1957–1960. It was the first finished building of the larger administrative and civic center also planned by Aalto, consisting of Seinäjoki town hall, a library, a theater and a state office building.
Kino Tapiola is a movie theatre in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland, founded in 1955. The theatre is one of the few original old-style movie theatres in the Helsinki capital area still remaining in its own, culturally protected state. The theatre has one auditorium, with 194 places. The theatre activity is owned by Espoon elokuvajuhlat ry.
The Hagalund manor is a manor in Espoo, Finland located in the Tapiola and Otaniemi areas. It has been owned by the families of von Wright, von Numers, Sinebrychoff and Grahn.
The Tapiola Central Tower is a high-rise building at the centre of the Tapiola garden city in northeastern Espoo, Finland. The tower is 49 metres (161 ft) high and has 13 floors. It has a total floor space of 5,600 m2 (60,000 sq ft). The tower was designed by architect Aarne Ervi and it was completed in 1961. Construction of the tower started in 1958. The tower was originally known as Konttoritorni.
Liikuntamylly is an all-activity hall over a hectare in size in the district of Myllypuro in East Helsinki, Finland. The building is located right next to the Myllypuro metro station. Most of the building consists of one large hall. The building also hosts business spaces on the bottom floor by the backyard side.
The hip flask houses are a group of four apartment buildings built in 1959 and 1961 in the Länsikorkee area of the Tapiola district in Espoo, Finland. The buildings have nine floors each and are 30 metres high. They were designed by architect Viljo Revell. The Hip flask houses dominate the appearance of the area and have become a sort of symbol of Tapiola. The Tapiola area is a culturally significant architecture area and the Hip flask houses are among the landmarks of the area.
