Archtours

27/11/2024

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting the wooden villa Ruusuniemi, which has a lively and rich history in hosting meetings for political leaders and industry experts. Located at the tip of the Ruusuniemi peninsula, only a 20-minute drive from Helsinki city center, it offers an interesting architectural spot to host a lunch or lecture amidst classic design aspects.

The Ruusuniemi villa was designed by architect Keijo Petäjä and was built in 1974 for Valmet’s conference and representative use. A beautiful sauna and pool area were added to the building by Keijo Petäjä’s son, architect Juha Petäjä in 1984, following the design and atmosphere of the original villa.

Over the decades, Ruusuniemi has hosted high-level meetings with leaders from both industry and international politics. The ownership of Ruusuniemi was transferred from Valmet to Wärtsilä in 1986, after which it has been used for example, the scene for conferences and training events of engineering company Metso.

Archtours is always looking for interesting architectural venues to incorporate in our programs, so get in touch with us for ideas and let us help plan your trip or event!

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19/11/2024

Over the weekend Archtours visited Berlin to scope out the architectural sites of the historically rich city. Just some snaps of the interesting new and old developments pictured here:

1. 3XN Smart Office Cube, 2020, next to the Berlin Main Station
2. James-Simon-Galerie, 2018, David Chipperfield Architects
3. View from Ku'Damm: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, 1895, Franz Schwechten/Motel One Upper-West, 2017, Langhof Gmbh/ Waldorf Astoria Berlin, 2012, Christoph Mäcklin Architekten
4. Federal Chancellery, 2001, Axel Schultes
5. The Carillon, 1987, Bangert, Jansen, Scholz and Schultes
6. Berlin Philharmonic, 1963, Hans Scharoun
7. Interior of the Futurium, 2017, Richter Musikowski
8. House of World Cultures, 1957, Hugh Stubbins
9. The Center Potsdamer Platz (formerly known as Sony Center), 2000, Murphy Jahn

11/11/2024

Great news; the nearly three-year renovation of Finlandia Hall is now complete! The public will get to enjoy the more energy efficient and accessible building starting from January 2025. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto and completed in 1971, and is one of Finland’s most renowned modern buildings and architectural creations. As much has changed in terms of technology, energy efficiency, and accessibility requirements over the past fifty years, it was time to update the building while preserving its original appearance.

Read more about the project here: https://shorturl.at/hNpPv

Photos by Jarmo Virta and Juho Kuva

02/10/2024

On behalf of Archtours, huge thanks to all for this exciting program in Glasgow! ✨

Well that was a fun couple of days that was last Friday and Saturday - Iceni Projects with Archtours Finland!! What an absolute privilege to have been asked…

08/07/2024

Archtours visited Amsterdam this past weekend to check out the city and its’ rapidly growing offering of diverse architecture. Book your tour with us to The Netherlands to discover the sites yourself!

Archtours will be taking a short summer break next week (week 29), but back at your service as usual for the upcoming Autumn season after!

Wishing everyone a relaxing July! ☀️🌇

01/06/2024

Yesterday we welcomed in the summer season with some delicious tapas, beautiful views and good conversations at the Helsinki Guide Meet-up, on top of the new Lyyra hybrid development, opened in 2023! Thank you to our expert architect guides for attending, and for hosting us!

Summer in the city has truly begun; book your city architectural tour with us for an educational stroll of the most interesting new developments 🌇🗺️👀

26/03/2024

Archtours had the pleasure of doing a study trip to the Åland Islands, located between Finland and Sweden in the Baltic Sea.

1. The truly magical views of the archipelago. In the summer, Åland has the greatest number of hours of sunshine in the Nordic area.
2. Two new Finnlines modern eco-friendly ships have a variety of cabins to choose from, as well as all the services you could wish for.
3. The Bomarsund Visitor Centre was designed by the architect Daniel Andersson, inaugurated in 2022. The location and choice of materials draw inspiration from the historical area and from events in the history of the fortress.
4. The interior design of the Hotel Arkipelag is truly rich and vividly colorful. Eva-Jo Hancock of Rabalder Story Design has created warm and stylish spaces using light and soft textures.
5. Sjökvarteret, The Sea Quarter, is a lively and museum-like area with a rich community life, artisans, restaurant and café, located in beautiful surroundings in central Mariehamn.
6. One of the best known chefs of Scandinavia, Chef Michael Björklund, has created his dream project of a small village of culinary experiences at Smakbyn. Located by the medieval castle of Kastelholm and open air museum Jan Karlsgården, we had a chance to taste authentic Åland pancake, an archipelago treasure.
7. Amalia's Lemonade Factory uses traditional craftsmanship from high-quality domestic natural ingredients, such as Åland berries and fruits. On the same premises resides the Mercedes Chocolaterie, where chocolate is paired with local flavors.
8. A foggy morning view of some of the 6,700 islands, of which about 60 are inhabited.
9. The new ships Finnsirius and Finncanopus have taken over the Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär route. They have two daily departures from Naantali to the Åland Islands and Sweden.
10. Exploring the map of Åland Islands during a March rain shower.

Get in touch with us at Archtours to plan your trip! ⛴🗺☀️

Thank you to , and for the wonderful program!

13/03/2024

Congratulations for winning the ASQ Award in Europe for Customer Experience, Helsinki Airport!

The ASQ award was based on surveys of around 4,000 passengers at the facility.

07/03/2024

Konttori auki!
Proud to announce that our Helsinki office is officially open! ✨

February went by with renovations, furnishing and adding finishing touches to create our space in the beautiful neighbourhood of Kruununhaka in Helsinki. We are located right behind the main landmark of the Helsinki Cathedral, on the premises of the prestigious Lyceum Club of Helsinki. As a creative and culture agency, we are very happy to be sharing the office space with the renowned Ackté Festival!

Our new office is located at Rauhankatu 7 E, but by appoinment only, as we spend a lot of time working in the field;
Send us a message or give us a call to set up a time to visit our office, welcome!

(Pictured is Kiira Halinen (CEO of Archtours) and Suvi Olavinen (AD of Ackté Festival).)


Aino Acktén kamarifestivaali ry.

28/02/2024

Earlier this month in our stories we quizzed you on the location of our scouting trip in January, and happy to see the majority guessed correctly; we had been visiting developments in Spain, more specifically the Andalusia region! ☀

Here are just a few snapshots of the interesting developments we visited in the city of Malaga:
(starting from top left)
1. The Mayoral New Warehouse Logistics Center by System Arquitectura
2. Paraninfo UMA Government Building by alcolea+tárrago arquitectos, Roberto Ercilla and Lecumberri & Cidoncha
3. Inside the Pavilion E4: Outdoor Educational Space by Juan Gavilanes Veláz de Medrano & Ferran Ventura Blanch
4. Central courtyard of the Carmen Thyssen Museum, restored and rehabilitated by rg+asociados arquitectos
5. Original facade of “La Casa Del Obispo”, rehabilitated as the new headquarters of EPSA (Andalucian Planning Department) by Pesquera Ulargui Arquitectos
6. Exterior of the Provincial Government Headquarters by Luis Machuca Arquitectos
7. Building of 73 Apartments. by Muñoz Miranda Architects
8. Exterior courtyard of the Faculty Building of UMA by Luis Machuca & Associates
9. AQ Urban Sky Towers by Morph Estudio

We will be publishing an article of our trip on our website later this Spring!