February 10, 2016

NEW YORK, NY, February 10, 2016 — The Center for Architecture presents Annual Rings: A New Generation of Wood Architecture in Finland, opening on Tuesday, February 16 at 6:00 pm and running through April 30, 2016. The exhibition, co-produced by the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the internationally renowned Aalto University Wood Program, narrates the development of Finnish wood architecture over the past two decades.

Finland has a long-established woodworking tradition and prides itself on its appreciation for quality craftsmanship. While wood construction has always played an important role in Finnish culture, wood architecture has experienced a particularly remarkable period of development in the past twenty years. Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in experimenting with innovative techniques in working with wood as a building material.

The exhibition includes 14 projects, from churches and chapels to pavilions, a research center, and even the country’s first wooden multi-story apartment building. The included projects have been selected not only for their quality, but also for the experimental nature of their execution.

Architectural and engineering innovations in wood, a renewable, carbon-storing material, are particularly relevant to New Yorkers as the City pushes to achieve its 80×50 challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. “The Center for Architecture fosters cross-cultural dialogues on topics relevant to the profession,” said Benjamin Prosky, AIANY and Center for Architecture Executive Director. “Encouraging innovation in the use of traditional renewable building materials like wood is key to achieving global sustainability goals. Annual Rings demonstrates how unique Finnish construction techniques are contributing to a new generation of wood structures.”

EXHIBITION OPENING PARTY
The exhibition opening for Annual Rings will be held Tuesday, February 16 from 6:00 – 8:00pm at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, New York City, and is free and open to the public.

Annual Rings is co-produced by the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Aalto University Wood Program.

Curators:
Juulia Kauste, Director, Museum of Finnish Architecture
Pekka Heikkinen, Professor, Wood Architecture & Director, Aalto University Wood Program
Philip Tidwell, Architect & Teacher, Wood Architecture and Design, Aalto University Wood Program

Original Exhibition Design and Visual Identity: Philip Tidwell, Architect & Teacher, Wood Architecture and Design, Aalto University Wood Program

Supporters: Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Aalto University, Lakea, Metsä Wood, Puuinfo and Suomen Tuulileijona.

About the Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is the premier cultural venue for architecture and the built environment in New York City, informed by the complexity of the City’s urban fabric and in dialogue with the global community. The Center shares a home with the AIA New York Chapter and has the unique advantage of drawing upon the ideas and experiences of practicing architects to produce thought-provoking exhibitions, informative public programs, and quality design education experiences for K-12 students. It also leads New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival, Archtober. The Center for Architecture’s aim is to further public knowledge about New York City architecture and architects, foster exchange and collaboration among members of the design, development, building, scholarly, and policy sectors, and inspire new ideas about the role of design in communities by presenting contemporary and practical issues in architecture and urbanism to a general audience. http://cfa.aiany.org