Terracotta tones define community centre in Finland by Nervin Architecture

A terracotta-toned palette of concrete, brickwork and tiles nods to Lappeenranta's distinctive 1980s civic architecture at Sammontalo, a mixed-use community building in Finland by local studio Nervin Architecture.

Located in Lappeenranta's Sammonlahti neighbourhood, the 12,000-square-metre complex brings together childcare facilities, a school, a public library and sports and youth spaces under one roof.

Sammontalo replaces an existing daycare, school and sports hall that was originally designed in the 1980s as part of a wider masterplan by Finnish architect Olli Kivinen, defined by its red-brick, postmodern style.

While structural issues led to these buildings being demolished, Helsinki-based Nervin Architecture adopted the style and material palette of the masterplan's surviving civic buildings, which have become well-known local landmarks.

"The remaining civic landmarks in the area include Sammontori youth centre and the health station, both designed by architect Sulo Savolainen in the 1980s, alongside the 1992 Sammonlahti Church by Riitta and Kari Ojala," said studio partner Antti Soini.

"These civic buildings emphasise human scale, contributing to a welcoming and approachable urban environment," she told Dezeen. "Sammontalo continues the postmodern character of the surrounding buildings through its material choices and its expressive architectural language."

The two storeys of Sammontalo have been divided according to its broad mix of uses, with public facilities such as the library, sports facilities and youth centre on the ground floor and the more private learning areas above.

These zones are linked via a double-height hall at the centre, which connects a public plaza and entrance to the north with a more private, cream-coloured courtyard to the south.

"On both sides of the entrance hall, elevated mezzanines continue the horizontal language of the exterior architecture, while the arrangement of interior windows mirrors the rhythm of the facade," Soini said.

"A cross-laminated timber (CLT) seating stair, paired with the stage framed by brick pillars opposite, creates a small theatre-like atmosphere within the hall, further enhancing the dynamic character of the space," she added.

Sammontalo was built primarily from a frame of CLT, which is raised on a concrete plinth. On the ground floor, red-brick cladding creates the impression of piers, while the upper storey is almost entirely glazed to create a lantern-like effect.

The terracotta shade of the exterior is carried through to the interior of the public spaces through stained timber and painted steelwork, while the private classroom areas above are finished in paler shades of exposed timber and cream.

Sloping tiled roofs with large eaves top each level of the building, which Soini describes as a means of "unifying" Sammontalo's sprawling, staggered perimeter.

"Our aim was to create a cohesive whole using as few, repetitive, and articulated elements as possible, drawing on the basic components of architectural language such as plinths, pillars, beams, roofs, and windows," Soini explained.

"Throughout the building, brick red is used to articulate structure and define edges, while beige functions as a calmer infill colour. Together, these tones establish a clear visual hierarchy and reinforce the legibility of the architecture."

Based in Helsinki, Nervin Architecture, formerly AS LL TK Architects, was founded by Soini alongside Leo Lindroos and Tuuli Kanerva.

Elsewhere in Finland, JKMM Architects recently completed a mixed-use centre in Tampere combining housing, retail and a football pitch beneath a single swooping roof, and it also unveiled its design for the Museum of Architecture and Design Helsinki.

The photography is by Rasmus Norlander.

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