Finlandia Hall receives significant international design award

Finlandia Hall, which reopened at the beginning of January, has won the architecture award of the prestigious Wallpaper* magazine’s Design Awards 2025 in the category “Best Modernist Revival“. In addition to Finlandia Hall, the architecture section includes the award-winning Marche Arboretum in Wallonia, El Aleph in Nova Scotia and the City of Rotterdam, as well as Tate Modern, Jaguar and Loewe in other sections.

In particular, the magazine justified its choice by how skilfully the modernist masterpiece designed by Alvar Aalto has been updated to meet today’s requirements of sustainable development and accessibility. Wallpaper praises how the renovation has managed to preserve the original spirit of the building while raising its technical systems, energy efficiency and accessibility to the level of the 2000s.

“This recognition is a great demonstration of international appreciation and how the renovation of Finlandia Hall has really succeeded in combining the building’s historical value with modern requirements,” says Johanna Tolonen, CEO of Finlandia Hall. 

The award strengthens Finlandia Hall’s position as an internationally significant architectural site. Already a year ago, Domus Magazine, one of the most followed magazines in the field of architecture, named Finlandia Hall one of the most anticipated architecturally significant construction projects to be completed. The same list included the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, The Greenwich skyscraper in New York and The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 

‘Many may be surprised at how well-known and interesting Finlandia Hall and Alvar Aalto are around the world. We definitely want to take advantage of this and do our part to make Helsinki and Finland an international place to visit,” Tolonen continues. 

Picture: Tuomas Uusheimo