As one of the co-hosts of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, city of Lahti offered a beautiful setting for designers. This very special evening was held on Thursday 2 February at Sibelius Hall in Lahti. World Design Capital Gala brought together design communities from all over the world.
Sibelius Hall in Lahti offered a beautiful setting for International Design Gala. Picture: Antti Ahtiluoto.
At UPM our relationship with designers and architects has a long history which has been evolving ever since company founded in 1995. The design year is a natural platform for us to strengthen the collaboration. As a leading company of bio and forest industry, UPM sees sustainable design as one of the key elements to success.
UPM is one of the main corporate partners for World Design Capital Helsinki. Picture is an illustration of the final construction of the Pavillion which is built from UPM sustainable products. Picture: Pyry-Pekka Kantonen, Aalto University, Helsinki.
A superior example of UPM’s ecobuilding know-how is a wood-based pavilion which will be built from UPM Living, Plywood and ProFi products. The temporary building is a key part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme and will be opened in May between two museums – Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture - in Helsinki.
The design year offers all of us great possibilities, experiences and meetings with design society both locally and globally. The pavilion is a great place to have design debates and discussions.
But let’s go back to Lahti, where UPM Livings’ unique design furniture showcased in Sibelius Hall. The furniture were designed and manufactured mainly from our interior décor products like surface-treated flooring profiles, laminated wood panels and round shape mouldings. UPM Living’s durable and natural wood products are not manufactured only for interior design but also for gardens and house construction.
These UPM Living products - design lamps and wooden benchs – were displayed in Design Capital Gala in Lahti. This picture originates from Habitare Fair held in September 2011 in Helsinki.
Also UPM ProFi had a role in the World Design Capital Gala in Lahti. In general as a material UPM ProFi composite is hardwearing on a patio and decks, but now it was used as a show case stand for BMW X3. Actually the Gala was the second cooperation day with UPM and BMW. The first same kind of public appearance was on New Year’s Eve in Helsinki, on WDC Helsinki 2012 opening festivities.
Collaboration with a renowned German brand and car manufacturer brings UPM great opportunities to increase our visibility in the target market in Central Europe.
UPM and BMW are both main corporate partners for World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.
The gala brought also together three prestigious design and architectural awards: the World Design Impact Prize, the Alvar Aalto medal and the Estlander award. Congratulations to all the laureates!
The first-ever World Design Impact Prize was awarded to Planning Systems Services Ltd from Kenya. Built using recycled materials, the company’s Community Cooker is a kitchen solution that turns rubbish into energy.
The eleventh Alvar Aalto Medal was awarded to Portuguese Paulo David (born in 1959). Designed by its namesake, architect and designer, Alvar Aalto, the medal is awarded in recognition of creative architectural concepts.
Helsinki Design Week founder and director Kari Korkman received the Estlander bronze medal and the €5,000 prize.
From bird view perspective you can see the shape of roof construction: it consists of different sized triangulars. Picture is an illustration of the final construction of the Pavillion which is built of UPM’s products. Picture: Pyry-Pekka Kantonen, Aalto University, Helsinki.
When Helsinki is the World Design Capital, theco-hosts of Helsinki are the cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa and Lahti. The World Design Capital title is awarded every other year to one city which is exceptionally skilled in utilising design as a resource for social, economic and cultural development.
The appellation is granted by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid). Helsinki is the third city to receive the title, after Turin in Italy (2008) and Seoul in South Korea (2010).
UPM is actively participating in various events and actions during the design year. Showcasing UPM wood products and composites as the main building material the Pavilion is a unique meeting place for design visitors this summer.
The Pavilion will be open for public from12th of May and open until the end of September. You are warmly welcome to the Pavilion!
Ms. Elisa Nilsson, Vice President, Brand Management, UPM
9 February 2012