The the three members of the Pre-Selection Jury and its Chair are appointed by the Executive Board of the Finnish Association of Architects. The Pre-selecton Jury proposes 3-5 candidates, among which the Juror selects the winner of the Prize. The members of the Pre-Selection Jury are appointed for two terms.
Chairperson of the Pre-selection Jury
Architect Simo Freese (b. 1961) runs Arkkitehtitoimisto Freese Oy which specialises in conservation research and historic and listed building restoration. Previous projects include the restoration of the Lallukka Artists’ Home, shortlisted for the Finlandia Prize for Architecture, the conversion of Helsinki’s Suvilahti power station into a cultural venue, including two circus schools as well as the architectural restoration of Ainola Museum, previously the home of composer Jean Sibelius. Freese’s design for Meripaviljonki, a floating restaurant at the Paasitorni Congress Centre was awarded the City of Helsinki’s Rakentamisen Ruusu prize. Freese has also compiled architectural conservation surveys of a wide range of sites, notably Ainola, Malmi Airport, the Finnish National Theatre’s Small Stage and the Lallukka Artists’ Home.
Architect Teemu Hirvilammi SAFA, (b. 1974) is a designer, lecturer and researcher in the field of architecture. He teaches architecture at the University of Tampere and currently serves as a Visiting Professor at the Guangdong University of Technology. Teemu Hirvilammi is an award-winning practitioner, whose best-known projects include the Kalevan Navetta Culture Centre and Kuokkala Church (LHA). He serves in a number of elected and other public roles, including the Building Information Foundation Board, the City of Tampere Urban Design Committee and the Ostrobothnia Regional Arts Committee.
Architect Saija Hollmén, SAFA, (b. 1970) is the Vice Dean for Art and Creative Practices at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture and lectures at the university’s Department of Architecture. She is a founding member of the Aalto World in Transition Research LAB (WiTLAB), an interdisciplinary network focusing on humanitarian development and global responsibility. Hollmén has taught and lectured widely at universities around the world. Her research focuses on architecture as a sociocultural structure.
Saija Hollmén is one of the founders of Hollmén Reuter Sandman Arkkitehdit Oy and Ukumbi ry. Ukumbi is a Finnish NGO offering architectural services to vulnerable groups, particularly in developing nations. The Ukumbi-designed Women’s Centre in Rufisque, Senegal, has received extensive attention internationally. Other Ukumbi projects include a domestic violence shelter in Moshi, Tanzania as well as halls of residence to support girls’ school attendance in the country’s Iringa region. Ukumbi received the Finnish State Prize for Art in 2009 in recognition for the organisation’s efforts to promote human-centred architecture in developing countries that is based on local practices and heritage. Together with her partners, Saija Hollmén has received several other accolades, including the Asko Avonius Prize in 2012, the Alfred Kordelin Prize in 2009 and the Pietilä Prize in 2002.
Professor Tuomo Siitonen SAFA, (b. 1946) runs his own architectural practice in Helsinki. From 1993 until 2006, he served as Professor of Architecture at the city’s Aalto University and as director of the Research Group for Health and Wellbeing in Architecture (Sotera) linked to the chair. In addition, he has lectured widely and held visiting posts internationally. Commissions completed by Professor Siitonen’s practice include the Helsinki District Court building, Joensuu Library, Porvoo Library, the Moscow Finnish Embassy extension, housing in Leppäsuo and a range of other residential projects. Professor Siitonen also has experience of wood construction, notably the Fiskars artistic residence studio and the KWUM Ceramics Museum. He was awarded the Viljo Revell memorial prize in 1973, the Finnish State Prize for Architecture in 1976 and 2010, the International Brick Award in 2008 and the Concrete Structure of the Year Award in 1983 and 2009.