April 25: Southern Finland tour – Metso, Tampere
Our first destination in the morning was the Tampere City Library, designed by the idiosyncratic architects Reima and Raili Pietilä and completed in 1986. It's known as Metso ("Capercaillie") because in plan it actually bears a resemblance to one.
It's kind of sci-fi.
The entrance, which I think is the tail/butt of the capercaillie, though maybe it's the beak.
An interesting conjunction of metal details.
The central oculus.
The oculus's sunbeam looks... eyelike.
Sci-fi skylight.
Pretty sweet vaults. I think the shape represents the spread-out wing of the bird.
All kinds of intersections.
Totally TNG.
The Moomin Museum is located in the library's lower level, and it was really neat.
Moving on, going by the Finlayson works. That slab serif face is seriously great.
Mill street.
Mill/canal complexes are pretty much the coolest.