Highly commended: Business building of the year 2021. Virkkunen & Co. has created an electricity substation building and five transmission towers and terminals, set in the national landscape of Imatrankoski rapids in Eastern Finland.

Close to a historical hydropower plant, the new structures reference the built context while seeking balance with the surrounding landscape.

The substation building has a concrete frame and double-skin facades of hand-made long bricks laid in a zigzag form. The transmission structures are built of triangular steel profiles in repetitive, architectural configurations. The distinct parts share a design language which gives them a unified identity.

Architect: Virkkunen & Co. Architects
Project: Imatra Electricity Substation