Woodstudio: Design Project
Woodstudio is a study package for MA students. Woodstudio in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture is focused on teaching the design of wood. The course started its activity in the year 2000. Woodstudio concentrates on the versatile use of wood in design and interior architecture. The studies consist of projects related to wood culture. The starting point in projects is innovative and experimental, and learning takes place by doing. Woodstudio is run by designer Mikko Paakkanen and architect Karola Sahi.
Learning outcomes
After the Woodstudio Design Project course, the student is able to:
- Recognize Finnish wood materials used in cabinet making
- Understand the specific features of Finnish wood-based materials
- Analyze and experiment with wood material (through practical work)
- Recognize and produce artistic material-oriented design of wood
- Produce prototypes in the Wood workshop in 1:1 scale (independently)
2025
"A METRIC TABLE"
We will study how to strengthen the cultural heritage and sustainable development of marketplace life in Helsinki. The goal of the assignment is to find ideas how to maintain and refresh market life in Helsinki by studying what a new marketplace selling table looks like and how it works. At the same time there is a hope that this new table is somehow connected to the tradition of market trade and the 'folk' nature of markets.
2024
STUDIES OF CURLY BIRCH
The aim of our task is to study valuable wood - curly birch - by combining it with massive birch. The focus of the task is to find new, open-minded ways of using curly birch, either from solid wood or veneer for series production. Our aim is also to study use of wood from visual point of view. In addition to studying use of curly birch wood, you may also study coloring the wood.
Our task is in collaboration with the Finnish Forest Museum Lusto and the Finnish Crafts Museum, where the works will be presented after a selection in a Curly birch exhibition in 2025.
2023
Furniture that Fits in the Open Air - PROMOTING MINDFUL OUTDOOR CULTURE BY RELAXED SITTING
Introduction text by architect Kengo Kuma: COVID-19 has changed our indoor lifestyle such as normalizing remote work and at the same time in the open air, the objects we surround ourselves with outside will also change so that we can make the time more comfortable. A revolution in our lifestyle is currently underway.
We have realized that in the current way of life we handle objects without care and treat them poorly, all in the name of saving time and effort; people rush to get results, and don't take the time to think deeply about the items they are using. Now the task is to provide an idea of sitting, which has a lot of potential to take shape and be used for a long time, so that a path towards living can be realized little by little. Please propose furniture for sitting that can fit in the open air which would enrich the new lifestyle of ours.
2022
USE OF WOOD IN FINNISH SAUNA CULTURE
Finnish sauna and bathing culture is doing well nowadays. New public saunas are being built and people relax by taking a sauna or a bath. Part of that culture is "cooling off". (In finnish there is a word for that: "vilvoittelu") For that cooling off purpose we need a stool to sit on.
2021
IMAGINE
Imagine yourself sitting on a bench with your friend. This bench is somewhere in Helsinki - Espoo - Vantaa district in a specific place - inside a building or outside. Find a place for your bench and design it.
Winter 2019
Photos by Eeva Suorlahti and Karola Sahi
