Alusta pavilion moved to the Aalto Campus
Built of clay and ecological materials, the pavilion creates a non-toxic and easily recyclable environment for the pollinators, plants, birds and other species. Between 2022 and 2024, the pavilion was located in the event courtyard between the Museum of Architecture and the Design Museum in Helsinki, attracting both pollinators and people to enjoy and spend time there.
The pavilion creators, architects Elina Koivisto and Maiju Suomi suggest that promoting biodiversity through land use and urban planning can enhance well-being and help mitigate climate change effects.
Alusta pavilion is a place for encounters between humans and non-human animals in urban space. It is shaped in collaboration with plants, human visitors, natural processes, and the passing of time.
The aim of the project, carried out in collaboration with ecology researchers at the University of Helsinki, is to increase biodiversity in the urban environment. The project highlights the essential importance of soil and its organisms for the well-being of the ecosystem.
The Alusta pavilion was opened on campus 14 August.
Location: Alusta pavilion, in front of Otakaari 1X, Espoo
A human-friendly, giant insect hotel emerged in the middle of the city
Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things
Read more news
Annual meeting of textile chemistry group held
August 8, 2025 – The Textile Chemistry Group convened its Annual Meeting on Friday, August 8, bringing together researchers, doctoral candidates, master’s students, and interns to share their latest work in advancing sustainable textile technologies. The meeting was inaugurated and chaired by Professor Ali Tehrani, Head of the Textile Chemistry Group, who welcomed all members and emphasized the importance of collaborative research in shaping the future of the textile industry.
Call for doctoral student tutors, September 2025
Sign-up to be a tutor for new doctoral students as part of the Aalto Doctoral Orientation Days!
Researchers turn energy loss into a way of creating lossless photonics-based devices
Turning energy loss from a fatal flaw into a dial for fine-tuning new states of matter into existence could yield better laser, quantum and optical technology.