Archtours

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!

15/12/2023

✨Archtours wishes everyone a joyous Holiday Season and a peaceful New Year 2024!✨

We wish to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our excellent architect guides, tour colleagues, program collaborators, and our wonderful clientele for this year!

Our office will continue to operate as usual over the holidays, but please allow us 24h response time to requests. 🙏

08/11/2023

This weekend we had lots to celebrate! ✨

We had our Archtours Harvest Party in Helsinki to celebrate the new era of Archtours and gave thanks to all the people who have made all this possible! Our excellent guides, both new and old, all of the team behind the scenes, and our unwavering support system! Thank you for being so brilliant, we shine because of you! 🙌

Simultaneously, we are so proud of our partner Kuutti and for being the winner of the Puupalkinto award 2023 is the Upper Secondary School and Culture House Monio! Congratulations!

Onwards and upwards for all! ✨✨✨

20/10/2023

Ahoy Helsinki professionals, looking for something interesting for your Christmas party?

Not only is Tallinn a beautiful example of old architecture, it is a hub of thriving contemporary buildings, urban planning and re-use of old developments. What would be better for a company Christmas party than a team-building meeting on board a ship with a full breakfast, a guided tour by a local architect around Tallinn areas in the afternoon, and a great team dinner, all in a day! With some Christmas shopping included!

Get in touch with us to let us organize it all for you and skip the stress!

17/10/2023

Whilst the busiest season of Archtours was producing tours in destinations such as Porto, Madrid, Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki, our Helsinki Guide Meet-up had the chance to visit the beautiful new Fiskars HQ in Keilaniemi!

The Fiskars Group Campus is an inspiring combination of art, design, and iconic brands. When the building was being designed, particular emphasis was placed on sustainability as well as on supporting employees’ wellbeing and creativity, as the employees have also closely participated in designing the facilities.

The "Keilaniemi Next" building was designed by SARC architects and approximately 400 of Fiskars Group’s employees moved into the new 9-storey building in the spring of 2022. The facility also houses spaces dedicated to new product development, a test kitchen and a metal workshop, as well as a pet corner and exercise area.

Only renewable energy is acquired for the energy-efficient building, which also has solar panels on the roof. Property developer NCC is applying for a BREEAM Excellent certificate for the building. Sustainability has also been considered in interior design, as repairable, reusable, and recyclable materials are preferred in indoor spaces, and some of the new items have been bought second-hand.

26/09/2023

Greetings from the busiest season of Archtours! Recently, one of our groups visited the HUS Meilahti Campus, but luckily not for medical reasons, but rather to hear more about the construction of the Bridge Hospital, New Children's Hospital and upcoming Oak Hospital. 🏥

21/07/2023

Always growing and taking a moment to sink our toes in the mud to ground ourselves in the woods.

Archtours is taking one week off for summer!

We will be back on August 1st, with full new Sisu!

29/06/2023

Jätkäsaari's Rokkiporkkana (tr. "Rock Carrot") was chosen as Bridge of the Year 2023! 🌉

The jury of RIL ry chose Rokkiporkkana for the Bridge of the Year 2023 Award, praising the thoughtful and high-quality design and the bridge's role in the development of the city district and the cityscape. The bridge design was commissioned by the city of Helsinki, with A-Insinöörit acting as the technical designer, and architectural design by VSU landscape architects. The wider than usual light traffic bridge connects two parks, Hyväntoivonpuisto and Selkämerenpuisto. The orange steel truss bridge with a concrete cover is 44 meters long and varies in width, and the color scheme was chosen to match the aesthetics of sea containers and port cranes related to the history of the area. LED light strips on the upper structures illuminate the bridge deck and floodlights the retaining walls, so the bridge is also visible in the dark.

The bridge will get a pair at the end of the year when a similar overpass will be opened over Länsisatamankatu.

29/06/2023

The Alusta Pavilion by architectural duo Suomi/Koivisto was built in the courtyard between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum in Helsinki and provides a space for humans, plants, and insects. Suomi/Koivisto work in the field of environmental architecture, and have collaborated with the ecologists from the University of Helsinki to create this project that explores the increasing biodiversity in urban areas by using clay and wood structures, natural processes of funghi and insects, and the participation of the human visitors.

The Alusta Pavilion is open to the public until October 2023.

Suomi/Koivisto

22/06/2023

In Finland, Midsummer weekend is starting and the city is growing more quiet as folks typically head off to summer cottages with friends and family to celebrate the summer solstice.
Archtours will be back at the office on Tuesday, and continue to be at your service over the summer, besides a short summer break at the end of July.

Wishing you all a safe and joyful Midsummer! ☀️

31/05/2023

Exciting news from Jyväskylä!

The Aalto2 Museum Centre opens, connecting the Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland in Jyväskylä, the legendary Finnish architect’s home town