Tampere, Finland

Designed by architects Piia Viitanen and Antti Hakala of Aihio Arkkitehdit, Aurum is a modern university building in a historical block in Turku, Finland that uses natural materials by Lunawood to create a unique atmosphere. 

In the building with an “Excellent BREAAM Environmental” rating, the choice of wood led the architect to Lunawood Thermowood because of its extreme dimensional stability.

The building is an impressive project where the history of the area embraces the contemporary architecture.

Aurum, built for the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Turku, integrates into its culturally significant surroundings, especially with its sustainable material choices.

For its stunning and sustainable design, Aurum has recently been awarded a 2022 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The project’s lead architect Piia Viitanen states that the design for Aurum was guided by environmental responsibility, which was considered in all design solutions.

She wanted to use genuine and natural materials that celebrate the characteristics and create a unique atmosphere.

As a result, the chosen materials generate strong dialogue and contrast: silky and partly rugged concrete with transparent glass and natural Lunawood Thermowood.

Aurum’s entrance, which leads to the atrium – the building’s heart and common lobby – is the eye-catching gem of the entire block.

The façade uses similar white wall tiles to the surrounding buildings but in a smaller size.

In contrast, the entrance uses Lunawood Thermowood battens in an upward-curving shape that give an impressive and natural look to the space.

“We wanted to use authentic materials as the source of color, such as transparent glass, cast-in-place concrete with both polished and unpolished surfaces, and wood to bring added warmth and atmosphere.

“This set high technical requirements for the materials because the color comes from the material itself and therefore it must be of high quality in terms of its technical standards,” explains Piia Viitanen.

“As the batten cladding continues from exterior walls to interior surfaces through a glass wall, it was extremely important for the same colour tone to continue from the outdoors inside.” 

Indoors, the Lunawood Thermowood was left untreated and it retains the warm signature color, the haptic feel, and the natural fragrance of the wood.

Outdoors, the battens were treated with a UV-protected surface treatment agent to maintain the brown color.

The coherent batten look seamlessly integrates with the whole and enables the unity of the architecture and style throughout the building.

Dimensionally stable Lunawood Thermowood battens allow long parallel lines and curved lines to continue from outdoors into the seven-story interior atrium.

The atrium was designed as a shared space for group work and entertaining, and the horizontal wood trim supports this by significantly evening out the soundscape and reverberation of the space.

Also, the wood material brings warmth and softness to the lobby area as a counterweight to the technical study spaces, such as laboratories.

Architect Piia Viitanen emphasizes that the dimensional accuracy and precision in installation was a crucial factor when choosing the wood material for the building.

“After analyzing a large number of wooden materials, we concluded that no other material offered the technical properties that would allow us to achieve the required level of dimensional accuracy and stability when installing the material, and also in the coming years.”

“In fact, Lunawood Thermowood was the only product that met these requirements. Outdoors the wood must stay dimensionally stable, and indoors in installations, the ends of the battens have to extend evenly, with a tolerance of only two millimetres allowed for the space between them,” Viitanen specifies.

Sustainability and the consideration of ecological values were also important factors when selecting the material for the project.

As the whole life cycle of Lunawood Thermowood is sustainable, it supports the values of the University of Turku and its position as a responsible leader in society.

“We believe that architects play a central role in promoting sustainable development and design, as this will guide sustainability in construction in general. This building, for example, has solar panels on the roof and a geothermal heating system,” says Piia Viitanen.

Aurum’s design and implementation achieved BREEAM environmental rating of Excellent.

The BREEAM system helps to design and construct buildings with the smallest possible environmental footprint.

This was taken into account in both material selection and space efficiency, as well as in terms of HVAC solutions.

Project: Aurum
Architects: Aihio Arkkitehdit
Lead Architect: Piia Viitanen and Antti Hakala
Client: Lunawood (Oy Lunawood Ltd.)
Photographer: Wellu Hämäläinen