From September 6 to October 15, 2025, the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin will host an exhibition on the Finnish architectural firm Helin & Co. The show aims to examine the firm's role in shaping Helsinki over the past two decades. Titled Heart and Horizon, it reflects the practice's approach of combining the human scale ("Heart") with an engagement with urban space along the waterfront ("Horizon"). A central focus is placed on three projects that have been fundamental to Helsinki's transformation: the Kamppi Centre, a networked urban quarter with mobility hubs, cultural and residential areas; the Kalasatama Centre, a new district on the former harbour that combines urban density with views of the sea; and the Sello District Centre in Espoo, a multifunctional complex with a library, music school and concert hall.
Unlike many European cities, Helsinki does not have a medieval or religious origin. As noted in the introduction to Heart and Horizon, the city was founded as a capital in a geopolitical location between East and West, following political decisions (first by a Swedish king and later by Russian tsars). Its access to water, the open sea, the Vantaa River, and the surrounding islands and peninsulas, has long shaped its urban development. The display underscores how Helsinki's evolution into a modern metropolis, now part of a polycentric region with Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen, is especially visible in the reintegration of water into urban life. Within this framework, Helin & Co's work is presented as an architectural approach that aims to create places for people while opening new perspectives for the city.
Helin & Co was founded in 1999 by Pekka Helin. The presentation emphasizes the office's focus on the human scale, sustainability, and sensitivity to context. Its portfolio is broad, ranging from urban master plans and redevelopment projects to retail and multifunctional complexes, transport and cultural buildings, renovations, private homes, and furniture design. The Berlin showcase aims to illustrate how the firm's projects interweave living, working, and culture into an open, maritime urban experience. Among other aspects, it highlights three larger urban areas significantly shaped by Helin & Co, drawing attention to their emphasis on flexibility, strong urban spaces, and international recognition.
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Located in central Helsinki, this project connects several levels of public space, including underground bus and metro stations, a parking plateau, retail, offices and apartments. It links with existing cultural sites such as the Parliament building and incorporates award-winning additions such as the Parliament annex and the UPM headquarters.
Kalasatama Centre
A mixed-use development of high-rise buildings, public spaces and leisure areas on the former harbour site at the waterfront. The project aims to demonstrate how urban density can be achieved in an attractive location while countering suburban land consumption.
Sello District Centre
A multifunctional hub in Espoo that combines cultural facilities such as a library, music school and concert hall with a wide range of services, situated at a central transport interchange in the metropolitan region.
The material on view occupies two rooms at the Aedes Architecture Forum. One presents the three key projects of Kamppi, Kalasatama, and Sello through photographs, plans, and models. The other features a wider selection of the firm's work, from residential buildings to a metro station, tracing the office's trajectory. Cinematic drone footage provides insights into how the projects relate to their environments. A reading table offers publications on the firm's work, complemented by chairs designed by Pekka Helin.
In related news from Helsinki, JKMM Architects recently won first prize in the international competition to design Finland's new Museum of Architecture and Design. Other recent architectural events include the inaugural Bukhara Biennial in Uzbekistan, which opened with over 70 site-specific commissions by more than 200 participants from 39 countries; the exhibition New Hudson Valley Houses at the Archive Gallery in Rhinebeck, New York, featuring ten newly designed homes by Stan Allen, Garrick Ambrose, Steven Holl, Toshiko Mori, and MOS; and the upcoming Copenhagen Architecture Biennial, taking place from September 18 to October 19, which aims to position the city as a platform for architectural dialogue and exchange.
