Ylivieska, Finland

Appointed by the local parish that decided to rebuild a historic church after a destructive arson, K2S Architects designs a new church building using traditional Finnish architectural techniques and contemporary construction methods to provide comfort to the local society.

K2S Architects was selected to design the new church through an open architecture competition in 2017.

The new church of Ylivieska forms a visible landmark in the urban surroundings of the Kalajokilaakso area.

The building mass is divided into three parts with gabled roofs – the church hall, the vestry, and the entrance lobby.

Of these, the mass of the entrance lobby is beveled diagonally, forming a natural entry plaza together with the war graves and the ruins of the old church.

The form of the new church is a natural continuation of the Finnish church-building tradition.

The church hall is clad with wood, bringing warmth to the atmosphere of the space.

The symmetrical, gabled form of the church hall is continuously shaped and structured by light from the skylight along the ridge and the indirect natural light at the altar recess.

Project: Ylivieska Church
Architects: K2S Architects Ltd
Lead Architect: Kimmo Lintula
Project Architect: Sasu Marila
Design Team: Mari Ollila, Matti Wäre, Matias Manninen, Iiro Virta, and Anna Suominen
Client: Parish of Ylivieska
Photographers: Tuomas Uusheimo