Kurikka is a town of around 21,000 inhabitants in southern Ostrobothnia, Finland, a rural and industrious region on the country’s west coast. The KURIKKATALON YLEINEN ARKKITEHTUURIKILPAILU, the open architectural competition for the new Town Hall, called for a building capable of functioning as an institutional headquarters and, at the same time, as a local civic space: a Town Hall that is not merely a block of offices, but a place where the community can find services, events and opportunities to meet. Maurizio Barberio and Micaela Colella’s proposal stems from a simple observation: Kurikka lacks a public infrastructure capable of encompassing these two dimensions within a single, legible building.

The design solution is a triangular volume with rounded corners. The two main façades are aligned with Asematie Keskuspuistikko, the two streets that frame the site, whilst the main entrance is situated at the corner between them, in continuity with the existing urban fabric. The third side of the triangle runs diagonally across the site and opens onto a new public green space, sheltered by a continuous roof (green above) pierced by two large round oculus windows that allow light to filter downwards. Beneath the roof are benches, bicycle racks and a heated shelter for the bus stop: a small landscape of amenities for daily life that the City Council makes available to the neighbourhood even before one enters the building’s interior spaces. A pedestrian and cycling network crosses the green space; four car parks and the secondary entrances complete the façade.

The heart of the building is the large glazed internal courtyard, a full-height glass-covered courtyard that brings natural light to the offices arranged along the three sides of the triangle. On the ground floor, the courtyard houses public functions and becomes the beating heart of the Town Hall, open to the flow of citizens and services for the public. A spiral staircase at the centre of the courtyard connects the four floors with a striking architectural gesture; two service staircases and their associated lifts complete the vertical circulation. The building’s most representative and flexible spaces are concentrated at the three vertices of the triangle: on the ground floor, the entrance with lobby and information point, the large circular council chamber of 147 m² (the valtuustosali) and the canteen with café; on the upper floors, the offices of the departments requiring spacious areas that can be adapted using modular furniture and lightweight partitions.

The structure is a steel frame (teräskehikkojärjestelmä) resting on a floating caisson foundation (floating caisson foundation), the typology of foundation best suited to the ground in Kurikka. The external glazed building envelope uses high-performance triple glazing, screened by a series of larch (lehtikuusi) panels that create a variable facade and serve a dual purpose: protecting against cold winter winds and mitigating summer solar radiation, preventing glare in the workspaces. The roof, clad in aluminium sheet, houses 255 photovoltaic panels that significantly reduce the building’s energy consumption; the heating is connected to Kurikka’s district heating network (kaukolämpö), which uses locally produced renewable energy. Inside, a minimalist material palette — timber on the walls, glass in the partitions, a dominant white with splashes of colour introduced by chairs and pouffes — is complemented by dedicated acoustic solutions (carpets in large spaces such as the council chamber and meeting room, sound-absorbing panels and suspended ceilings).

Technical details
·       Location: Kurikka, Southern Ostrobothnia (Etelä-Pohjanmaa), Finland — corner of Asematie Keskuspuistikko

·       Year: 2024

·       Client: Municipality of Kurikka — public competition for the new Town Hall (kaupungintalo)

·       Typology: Public building — Town Hall (municipal headquarters) with offices, council chamber, canteen, archive, and public service areas

·       Status: Concept — proposal for a public competition

·       Designers: Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella — Barberio Colella Architetti

·       Form and geometry: Triangular plan with rounded corners; two main façades facing Asematie Keskuspuistikko; main entrance at the corner where the two streets meet; third side running diagonally across the site towards the public green space

·       Number of storeys: 4 storeys above ground

·       Outdoor public space: Green space under a continuous roof (green roof) with two large, light-filled round skylights; benches, bicycle racks, heated bus shelter; pedestrian and cycling network; 4 parking spaces; secondary entrances

·       Internal public space: Large full-height internal courtyard covered in glass; spiral staircase in the centre; at the three vertices of the triangle: entrance + lobby + information point, circular council chamber 147 m² (valtuustosali), canteen with café

·       Vertical circulation: Main spiral staircase in the courtyard + 2 service staircases with associated lifts

·       Building envelope: High-performance triple glazing screened by larch (lehtikuusi) panels creating a variable facade — dual function: protection from cold winter winds + mitigation of summer solar radiation and anti-glare

·       Roof: Aluminium sheet with 255 photovoltaic panels

·       Energy: Connection to the Kurikka district heating network (kaukolämpö), powered by locally produced renewable energy

·       Interior: Key materials: timber on the walls, glass in the internal partitions, predominantly white with colour accents provided by chairs and pouffes; dedicated acoustic treatment (carpets in large spaces such as the council chamber and meeting rooms, sound-absorbing panels and suspended ceilings)