Original name
Weilin & Göös painotalo [Weilin & Göös printing works]
Other denominations
Näyttelykeskus WeeGee [Weegee Exhibition Centre]
Original use
Industry/industry
Current use
Culture/leisure/tourism/museum
Architects
Aarno Ruusuvuori
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
The construction of cantilevers creates structures that protrude from their supports without external reinforcements, contrasted with constructions supported at both ends, where the load is distributed between them, like in the case of a beam or a lintel. Formal strategies can be used to improve the structural performance of the cantilever and reduce thicknesses.
A suspended roof refers to the case where the vertical supports do not rest on the ground but hang from a structure above. Steel cables are often used for these supports, since they are only subject to traction forces.
State of Conservation
Description
The work of the architect Aarno Ruusuvuori is characterized by complex reinforced concrete structures, combined with curtain walls and steel joinery. This building for a printing company is one of the most remarkable in his career. It is located in an industrial area of the city of Tapiola, in an area surrounded by dense pine forests. Despite its large scale and its Brutalist aesthetic – which expresses its unique concrete structure – the volume is delicately placed on the site: with minimal topographic alterations, it respects the trees and the masses of stones on the site and generates a clearing in the forest that takes advantage of the surroundings by giving the workspaces views onto the landscape.
The Weilin & Göös printworks is a modular building, and its current configuration is the result of two successive expansions: initially the building consisted of four modules, and it was eventually expanded to include eight. The structure of each of the modules – measuring 27 m on each side and two stories high – is entirely independent. In each one, a wide central pillar rises past the level of the concrete roof, which it supports with the help of inclined braces, visible from the outside. This generates an open interior space on the top floor, suited to large printing machinery, along with a façade, made of glass and concrete, characterized by total compositional freedom. The top floor slab, on the other hand, is held up by a conventional network of pillars due to the weight of the machinery it needs to support. The administrative uses, entirely compatible with this structure, are located on the ground floor, which opens onto the landscape.
After the end of its industrial activity, at the beginning of this century, the building was acquired by the local government and is now used for cultural programming.
Finland
Ahertajantie 5
Ussimaa (Region) 02100 Espoo
Commission
1962
Completion
1966