For Riikka Kuittinen, architect at Finnish LUO Architects, the Kiihtelysvaara commission was personal. She grew up in the neighbouring village and knows from her own experience what a symbol the old church was for the community. When the parish was to select an architect, no traditional competition was announced; instead, the choice fell on LUO Architects, based on their extensive experience of parish buildings and their strong local roots.
“There was enormous expectation from the villagers. Many had donated their own money to the build, and feelings ran high about whether to build a replica or something entirely new,” Riikka Kuittinen explains.
The new church is designed from the temporal perspective of standing firm for at least 200 years. To achieve that lifespan, whilst creating a healthy and natural building, a structural frame of settlement-free and locally produced timber was chosen.
“Choosing solid timber was about creating a construction that is honest and sustainable. It provides a massive structure with natural insulation that requires no extra layers of material in the walls. It’s a technique that in many ways reflects the old church’s logic, but with modern precision,” explains Riikka Kuittinen. The new church is also more than a church building for religious activities. There are spaces for children’s and youth groups, evening activities such as concerts and events. A natural community space for the village residents.
Cross-laminated timber and copper
If the walls represent tradition, the roof stands for modern engineering. The entire high roof structure is constructed with cross-laminated timber elements. The CLT panels function as a cohesive diaphragm that allows large spans and steep geometry without compromising stability.
One of the greatest moments during construction occurred when the central roof window, the so-called lantern, was to be installed. “We chose to first build the entire roof window on the ground, as a complete unit. To then see it lifted up in a single piece and fitted into the roof structure was a technical milestone in the project,” says Riikka Kuittinen.
The new roof window plays a crucial role for the interior. The old church was traditionally built and had a more closed character. Now instead light floods in through the roof and down along the central axis towards the chancel.
Material choices with sustainability in focus
Under their feet, churchgoers now have a so-called end-grain block flooring of local pine, a construction where timber blocks are placed vertically with the end grain facing upwards, thus creating an extremely durable surface that can withstand many visitors over a long time – whilst also giving a warm and living feeling to the space.
When it came to the roof’s outer shell, discussions were initially held about using traditional wood shingles with tar, but the parish chose another path.
A shingle roof requires maintenance and re-tarring every five years. Copper was chosen for its extreme durability and the fact that it requires minimal maintenance over time. It’s a decision made for future generations.
Since the new building stands on a site where churches with associated cemeteries have existed since the 1600s, the land is classified as a cultural monument. An architect from the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto) therefore needed to be involved throughout the work. Partly to ensure that the cultural-historical values were preserved, partly so that the new church wouldn’t deviate too much architecturally from the context in which it was erected.
“Archaeological excavations found, among other things, graves that we needed to take into consideration, which limited the building’s exact placement and area. We had to navigate carefully so as not to disturb the history beneath us,” relates Riikka Kuittinen.
A modern link to the past
Despite the modern design, there’s a physical bridge to the 18th-century church preserved. At the last moment, the church’s caretaker managed to rescue the altarpiece from the flames.
“It became a self-evident and central point in our design. We designed the entire new chancel and its proportions around it,” says Riikka Kuittinen.
The new church in Kiihtelysvaara is more than a replacement for a lost building. It’s proof of timber’s ability to carry both history and future under one and the same copper roof.
Text: Anna Strömberg Photo: Kalle Kouhia, Toni Pallari
