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
Jenni Reuter (1972–) is Associate Professor of Architectural Principles and Theory at Helsinki’s Aalto University. In her teaching, she focuses on space-making for a sustainable future, the changing role of the architect, new pedagogical models and the dynamic relationships between architecture and other artistic disciplines. Since 2016, she has curated the international Architecture Speaks! lecture series.
Alongside her scholarly career, Jenni Reuter is a practicing architect. She runs her own practice alongside a collaborative relationship with fellow architects Saija Hollmén and Helena Sandman. The trio first worked together on the Women’s Centre project in Rufisque, Senegal in 1995 and are currently working on a girls’ hostel project in Tanzania. In 2007, they set up Ukumbi, an NGO that specialises in offering architectural services to developing communities.
The work of Jenni Reuter and RHS Architects has been recognized with prizes in both Finland and internationally. Her designs have also been extensively covered in print and exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale. In 2017, Jenni Reuter received the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s prize for “outstanding cultural achievement”.
Jenni Reuter teaches and lectures at universities and events around the world. She also regularly sits on juries for architectural competitions and holds other influential roles within the profession.
Dr Harri Hautajärvi is an architect whose work also encompasses writing and research. His practice, first established in 1995, specialises in interiors, refurbishments and architectural building design. He has written and edited numerous architectural titles and his published works also encompass around 260 scientific and popular scientific articles that have appeared in everything from professional journals to newspapers and magazines.
From 2000 to 2008, Harri Hautajärvi served as the editor-in-chief of the Finnish Architectural Review. The publication, and Harri Hautajärvi himself, won numerous prizes during his tenure at the journal. His doctoral thesis, titled From bothies to holiday villages – an architectural history of Lapland (Autiotuvista lomakaupunkeihin – Lapin matkailun arkkitehtuurihistoria) won the award for best construction sector thesis in 2015. He is also one of the authors and editors that contributed to the award-winning 2021 pamphlet titled Whose city is it? Helsinki built heritage and planning policies heading for a collision (Kenen kaupunki? Helsingin kaupunkisuunnittelu ja kulttuuriympäristö törmäyskurssilla).
Hautajärvi has curated several museum exhibitions and designed exhibitions and exhibitions spaces. During the course of his career, he has also sat on a number of juries and on the boards of architecture industry bodies, including as chair.
Kirsi Korhonen (b. 1958) runs her own architectural studio, Arkkitehdit Kirsi Korhonen ja Mika Penttinen. In her practice, she specialises in residential property design as well as complex refurbishment projects with an interest in interior and living environment design and the development of new residential typologies.
Many of her projects have been won through design competitions and a number have been featured in print. Korhonen’s practice has received the City of Helsinki’s Rakentamisen Ruusu prize for their achievements in detached home design and the Betonijulkisivupalkinto for an accomplished concrete facade design (As Oy Helsingin Lontoonkatu 9).
In the course of her career, Korhonen has served on numerous design competition juries and served in both elected and expert roles, including on the Finnish Architecture biennial review board 2020 and as an expert advisor to Espoo and Helsinki local authority architectural and urban design committees.
Matti Sanaksenaho (b. 1966) is a practising architect and professor of contemporary architecture at the University of Oulu. He is a partner at Sanaksenaho Arkkitehdit Oy alongside Professor Pirjo Sanaksenaho. Sanaksenaho graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology with a degree in architecture in 1993.
Over the course of his career, Sanaksenaho has held a range of positions within the industry, including as a jury member for design competitions both at home and internationally. He has lectured and exhibited widely in Europe, China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Matti Sanaksenaho’s work has been recognised with numerous international awards, and he has won design competitions both in Finland and further afield.
His most high profile works include the Finnish pavilion at the Seville World Expo in 1992 (with Ryhmä MONARK), Empty Space in Saarijärvi (1993), Vaasa student hub (1997), Iittala store concept for flagship stores in Helsinki and Stockholm (2000), Tammimäki House, Espoo (2001), St Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel, Turku (2005), Laavu holiday property, Utsulevi, Lapland (2006), Villa Boathouse Nanjing, China (2012), Student health centre, Töölö, Helsinki (2012), Talo K, Espoo (2015), Villa Hiltunen, Lake Saimaa (2024) and Villa Niri, Taivassalo (2024).