"Dangerous liaisons. Preserving post-war modernism in city centers".
Conference,15-17 February 2001, Helsinki, Finland

Hanken as an object of preservation

Johannes von Martens, Architect, A-konsultit

Hanken is not the most outstanding and refined example of thearchitecure of its time, yet it doesn’t lack architectural qualities that youwouldn’t find in many contemporary buildings regarded asoutstanding architecture. It was designed in the late 1940’ies byyoung Kurt Simberg as a winning competition entry . This was his firstlarge commission. Construction began in 1951and was completed in1953.Hanken like many other schools was financed trough privatefund-raising and building-material donations from the Industry. One ofthese donators was Nokia, not yet known for cellular phones but forits rubber products. Thus there was a certain amount of rubberflooring waiting to find its place within the edifice. And it movedaround in Simberg’s sketches until it finally ended partly on first floorand partly in the basement. Then there were those funds raised bydanes on the condition that they had to be used for danish furniture.Consequently interior designers Ottelin & Johansson-Pape went toCopenhagen to pick up some pieces of furniture. And so on.Furthermore - import of building materials was rigidly regulated.Building new schools was one of the expressions of the will andself-confidence of postwar Finland. Though totally lacking requireablefunds, the comissioners believed in the power of design. Furniture&lighting were designed by leading Finnish contemporary designersOlof Ottelin (furniture) and Lisa Johansson-Pape (lighting), both workingfor Stockmann’s department for interior design (which doesn’t existanymore). Textiles were designed by Dora Jung and the colouring ofmain interiors by as well famous Yki Nummi.