Proposal for Ylivieska Church

The thesis presents a proposal for a new church to the town of Ylivieska, in Northern Finland, exploring the pursuit of meaningfulness as a means for creating good architecture.

The thesis is based on the author's competition entry, which was awarded with an honorary mention. The thesis is presented in three books and accompanying scale models. ¶ The first book is an investigation of typology: a survey of the tradition of church building in Finland. Seven Finnish churches are presented with photos and site plan, floor plan and section drawings redrawn to a unified style, next to a body of text based on literary reviews and visits by the author. The survey identifies specific typological characteristics which give the tradition of church building a highly reinterpretable nature. ¶ The second book is an investigation of place: a contemplation of the town of Ylivieska as a location for building a church. Location is understood chiefly as meanings given by the local community. What kind of meanings do the people of Ylivieska give to a church building? Answers are sought in a discussion with the vicar of Ylivieska parish, Timo Määttä. The construction of a new church building is recognized as an integral part of the construction of a local communal identity. ¶ The third book is an investigation of meaning: a proposal for the new church of Ylivieska. The proposal finds its meaningfulness by positioning itself both as a continuation of reinterpretative tradition and as a part of the local communal identity. The building and its immediate surroundings create an extension to the old churchyard. The floor plan is organized as a large and flexible sacred/mundane space which is flanked by anonymous secondary rooms. Special attention is given to the wooden roof structure, which is designed as a reinterpretation of a medieval Finnish church roof structure. The proposal is a physical manifestation of local memory, the home of a community, and a place for meeting God.