Reima and Raili Pietilä facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reima Pietilä
Born	25 August 1923 Turku
Died	26 August 1993(1993-08-26) (aged 70) Helsinki
Nationality	Finnish
Alma mater	Helsinki University of Technology
Occupation	Architect
Spouse(s)	Raili Pietilä (m. 1963–93; his death)
Children	Annukka Pietilä
Practice	Raili and Reima Pietilä architects (prev. Reima Pietilä and Raili Paatelainen)
Buildings	Mantyniemi Official Residence of the President of Finland, Dipoli Student Union

Reima Pietilä (born August 25, 1923 – died August 26, 1993) was a famous Finnish architect and a thinker about architecture. He created most of his amazing buildings and designs with his wife, Raili Pietilä (born August 15, 1926 – died May 16, 2021). After 1963, all their projects were officially known as works by "Raili and Reima Pietilä." Reima Pietilä also taught architecture at the University of Oulu from 1973 to 1979.

About Their Lives

Reima Pietilä was born in Turku, Finland. His father owned properties, and his mother was a homemaker. His parents met in the United States, where his mother worked in people's homes. Reima had an older sister, Tuulikki Pietilä, who was an artist and the partner of the famous author Tove Jansson.

Reima went to school in Turku. There, he was friends with Mauno Koivisto, who later became the President of Finland. Reima finished his architecture studies in 1953 at the Helsinki University of Technology. Raili Paatelainen also studied architecture there, graduating in 1956. Before working with Reima, she worked for other architects.

Reima and Raili started working together in 1960, opening an office called Reima Pietilä and Raili Paatelainen. In 1975, they changed the name to Raili and Reima Pietilä architects. Reima and Raili got married in 1963. Their only child, Annukka Pietilä (born in 1963), also became an architect.

Their Architectural Work

Reima Pietilä's career really took off after he won a competition to design the Finnish building for the Brussels World Fair in 1958. After that, they won two more important competitions: one for the Kaleva Church in Tampere (1966) and another for the Dipoli Student Union building in Espoo (1966).

Many experts have studied the work of Reima and Raili Pietilä. They often discuss how the Pietiläs' designs were different from the usual Finnish modernist architecture. Modernist architecture often focused on simple, clear designs and saving money. However, the Pietiläs' work, like that of another famous Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto, was more unique.

Reima Pietilä saw his work as organic architecture. This means his buildings often looked like they grew naturally from their surroundings. He also believed his designs were very modern. He thought deeply about how buildings felt to people and how they fit into their location. This idea was very important for buildings like the Dipoli Student Union building. He even explored how the Finnish language could inspire architectural shapes! This idea also influenced their buildings in other countries, like Kuwait and India.

In 2008, the Museum of Finnish Architecture in Helsinki held a big exhibition about their work. It was called Raili and Reima Pietilä. Challenging Modern Architecture.

Raili and Reima Pietilä also designed a summer cottage for Reima's sister, Tuulikki Pietilä. This cottage is on a faraway island called Klovharu. It was a special place that helped inspire the famous Moomin characters created by Tove Jansson.

Cool Buildings They Designed

Here are some of the important buildings designed by Raili and Reima Pietilä:

• 1956–1958 Finnish pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair
• 1959–1966 The Kaleva Church in Tampere
• 1961–1966 Dipoli student building in Otaniemi, Espoo
• 1962–1982 Suvikumpu residential area in Tapiola Espoo
• 1963–1985 Finnish Embassy in New Delhi India
• 1973–1975 The sauna at Hvitträsk in Kirkkonummi
• 1973–1982 Sief Palace Area Buildings in Kuwait City, Kuwait
• 1978–1986 Metso, Tampere Central Library
• 1979–1982 Lieksa Church in Lieksa northern Karelia
• 1979–1989 Shopping center and community center in Hervanta, Tampere
• 1984–1993 Mäntyniemi, Official Residence of the President of Finland in Helsinki

Image gallery

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  Dipoli Student Building, Espoo.

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  Kaleva Church in Tampere.

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  Metso, Tampere Central Library.

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  Community center complex in Hervanta, Tampere.

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  Official residence of the President of Finland, Mäntyniemi, Helsinki.

See also

In Spanish: Reima Pietilä para niños