What seems like an eternity ago, I had the chance to get out more and explore the world with my camera. I would go day and night for a few hours at a time and just kind of randomly chance upon whatever caught my eye to photograph.
However, one of my favorite places was an old matchstick factory, that had been left decrepit for decades to become the home to local graffiti artists and delinquents, who would gather in some of the rooms in the darkness.
While the buildings are beautiful and well positioned, they were listed for protection to some degree by the city council, and that meant no one wanted to start work on them, since it is severely limiting, especially if moving from a factory to apartments, as was planned. They were owned however, with one of my clients having bought them cheap a decade or two ago.
However, the place was dangerous, with gaping holes in the floors and rooves and all kinds of various traps in the darkness. I never went in there at night, as it was just too risky and this is what ended up starting the development. A youth had been wandering around there alone and fallen through a ceiling and severely injured, unable to move and in a hidden position, his body was discovered a few days later.
This prompted the city into giving permission for development to take place and life some of the restrictions and now, it is nearing completion and will be some kind of childcare clinic I believe. My client also owns the buildings and strip of land surrounding the factory and has developed housing apartments that overlook the lake there also, completely changing the area.
The external façade of the building I think will remain relatively true to history, I am looking forward to seeing what they will do with the insides. I have had my eye on the place since I came to Finland and since I unknowingly ended up training the owner, we ended up speaking a lot about the potential it holds, with him and a few of his development staff. I haven't trained them for several years, so I don't know what the final result will be.
These kinds of places are a lot of fun to explore and while they are pretty much used as rubbish dumps by the people who frequent them for painting and likely drug use, they have so many contrasting textures and colors, where the past has had layers of the years built up upon it.
I am glad that in Finland they generally restore the old factory buildings and convert them into modern spaces now, rather than building new. There are quite a lot of buildings that were built after the end of the second world war in what would be considered a "brutalist" style, but the city itself has a long industrial history (especially in textiles), with red brick featuring heavily in the area.
Some of the brutalist buildings have their own charms, but nothing like the grandeur of the high ceilings and large factory windows running the sides of the bricked buildings. I think that many of the buildings in the city should be demolished and consolidated in to taller buildings, with the empty lots converted into green and clean spaces for city living. I think that more and more cities around the world are going to be doing what they can to open up cities for quality of life, especially as automated cars will reduce the need for roads. I believe that the function of a city will start becoming smarter by demand.
While I don't really get out with my camera for these kinds of trips of late, I have been feeling pretty antsy to begin again, even if many of the places I used to frequent have now been lost to the future. I don't exactly know when I will be able to manage getting out for a few hours at a time, especially with the days being graced with only a few hours of daylight, but perhaps I will make it a bit of a mission. I haven't even taken a good walk around the area we now live, so there might even be some candidates in the area.
One shot I would really love to get is from a field, with a crumbling stone barn in the fore and the splendor of the Aurora in the sky behind. I have always wanted an epic Northern Lights shot, am yet to get even a decent one. Hopefully I can cross it off my bucketlist of shots one day.
We are all hunters of some kind. Gatherers too.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Any millenials confused by this hanging dumbbell?
Hahahaha I don't consider myself to be a millennial, but my birthdate states otherwise, but then again I do live in a country which is decades behind in technology.
Anyway, I do remember these phones and I have also used the ones where you needed to turn that round thingy to ring someone up 😂
They will start installing them at crossfit centers.
Hello @tarazkp! It’s a tremendous delight seeing your post here! Having said that, it’s our pleasure to warmly welcome you to the Architecture+Design Community! Thank you so much for your support and participation!
Hey and thanks for the welcome :)
I will try to add some posts over time as I think there are some pretty cool buildings around here as well as some little details in the stories behind them.
So an iconic country shot then XD Hope you're able to get one too, those are pretty cool :)
I love those old buildings. Can understand people leaving them to rack and ruin because trying to develop them within heritage guidelines is kind of painful and restrictive, and then my brain starts internal wars of greed vs conserivng aspects of history XD
You haven't had a chance to explore the new neighbourhood yet? Definitely sounds like a thing to be doing with a camera :)
Yeah - something that I can have on my wall and people will say, I love that shot - thinking it is from a pro ;D
The problem in Finland is they protect the most random buildings for no real reason. And then, never remove the protection. There are some eyesores that are protected because once upon a time a famous person walked past it.
What an awesome place to photograph!!!!! I love all the graffiti. Especially love that shot with the old telephone.
I like that one too. The last time I was there, someone had ripped it from the wall. I find it strange - for years it had hung there and all kinds of people had recognized the "significance" of it - the story of it. Kids today....
Maybe due to high ceilings with dangerous holes and rooms infested by orcs (delinquents) I get Moria vibe from this place.
It is a little Moria, especially in some areas where there is very little light coming in.
Transforming historical buildings into their more modern versions is a tedious task but is also a satisfying art form. While the process of preserving architectural relics in their original grandeur is a global practice for heritage purposes, it has also become a common option for architects and property developers to renovate and refurbish these edifices because of their practical and economical benefits. Finland has certainly done a great job with their urban projects and is an excellent role model for other nations to follow.
Thanks a lot Taraz for publishing your awesome post on the Architecture+Design Community! More power!
I like some guidelines, as it would be a shame just to demolish them, plus the rules often inspire innovation to try and stay within them and "break" them at the same time. In general, Finnish design is very practical and not overly beautiful - but there is some beauty to be found between those two points :)
Thanks for the welcome in!
Dear @tarazkp ,
Surely you seem to have a great talent for discovering the barbarism behind civilization.
From the past there have been numerous brutal and savage wars in Europe. In the ruins hidden in the Finnish city, you projected the savagery with artistic observation and sensitivity.
Looking at your works, I am seeing the light and shade of Europe.
Is the kindness and generosity you show me, after all, because of your openness and tolerance as artists and literaries?
This place wasn't bombed during the war as far as I know and it was operational up until the 70s I think. Finland in general though has been heavily shaped by war in the last 110 years or so, including the building styles.
Welcome to the Architecture + Design Community! Great artistic shots! We are curious to find out how they'll "relatively" restore or preserve its facade and how the re-development of this project would turn out, especially with its high ceilings. It is sad to hear that it had been abandoned by the city council for years until an accident took place. It's positive however that a child healthcare clinic would occupy it.
When they finally finish it, which is likely a couple years away, I will add some shots to show how it has changed.
Loved the mood and frame of every picture very cinematically appealing.
Keep flourishing.
Thank you.
Scary and exciting at the same time. I'd love to explore a place like this.
Did you find anyone painting?
Yeah, the guys in the pictures were painting there one day. I asked if I could take photos as long as I didn't show their faces :)
Graffities unfortunately don't receive the appreciation they deserve and it is very hard to catch the aura one is experiencing when passing by or enjoying them as "pieces of art made into stone" but still so much in process of fade:
https://nftshowroom.com/sciencevienna/gallery/sciencevienna_public-pleasures-vienna_entering-2021-through-joggingxhibition
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that is a pretty cool collection there. The "choking" one made me laugh :D
Haha yeah me too, what else should one do when dying for intimacy in times of physical distancing? Is there a limit? Can it get boring?
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A lot of interesting graffiti work in those pictures.
I wish you good luck in your quest to get some good aurora pictures. Those are always magical.
There are/were some pretty good pieces around the place there. It wasn't always easy to get a good shot of them though, due to their position.
@tarazkp, This place have very expressive essence. Feels like entered into a Artistic Portal Reality. Stay blessed.
It was a pretty cool place and would have been brilliant to convert into large (and very expensive) apartments. The location is only about a kilometer or two from the center of the city.
May be it's destined for this Artistic Expression. 🙂
What is with the weird bolding of text?
It became a habit, working on it. 🙂