Marianna Heikinheimo, who describes herself as multidisciplinary, finds it rewarding to get to know as many different kinds of buildings as possible in her work. Alvar Aalto has influenced her both during her studies and in her work.
A curious, multidisciplinary architect
Marianna Heikinheimo, CEO of Ark-byroo Oy, is curious by nature and has expanded her expertise throughout her professional career. By training she is an architect, an economist, and a visual artist.
Heikinheimo chose the architect's profession for its diversity, because it brings together many things that interest her: spatiality, the visual, materiality, economy, and the social environment. She has also always made sense of the world by drawing, which led her to study visual arts as well.
Marianna Heikinheimo, D.Sc. (Tech.) and architect, is an expert in demanding renovation. © Kerttu Mailinen, Studio Folke
Heikinheimo completed her doctoral dissertation in the history of architecture, on the relationship between architecture and building technology in the Paimio Sanatorium designed by Alvar Aalto. Her research expertise also benefits her in the architectural design of buildings of cultural and historical value.
Varied work on interesting projects
Heikinheimo works as the CEO of the architecture firm and as an expert in projects. Her days often include project meetings, either with a customer or internally. She also guides the work of others and is responsible for the company's operations as a whole. In projects, Heikinheimo's tasks include lead design and architectural design work as well as research tasks.
"We architects are in a service profession. We bring our own expertise to a building project. My background is in renovation, in the knowledge of building culture, in project management, and in commercial thinking. The most interesting projects are those where, together with the customer and the team, we try to solve some problem and reach the project's goals as well as possible. I like working with motivated professionals who respect one another." Marianna Heikinheimo describes the projects that interest her.
Old buildings inspire more often than new ones
Heikinheimo is often inspired by old buildings. As an example she mentions her visit to Japan: "A few years ago in Kanazawa, Japan, I got to see a 17th-century ninja temple and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa in a single day. The old building won out, with its naturally grown curved beams, its translucent screens, and its false doors. On the other hand, the Tama Art University Library designed by Toyo Ito on the outskirts of Tokyo, from the 1990s, was worth the awkward train journey, an extraordinarily fine experience."
Lapinlahti Hospital. © Juuso Heikinheimo, Ark-byroo Oy
In addition to old buildings, many cities and places have inspired her: "Rome, Venice, Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, St. Petersburg, and Copenhagen, among others, have inspired me as physical environments and as states of mind. In my home city of Helsinki, my favourites are the roof of Temppeliaukio Church, the lively shopping streets of the Kamppi district, and Alvar Aalto's buildings as a whole."
Besides buildings and cities, various artists and Baroque art have also influenced Heikinheimo: "Through my visual arts studies I have become acquainted with many 20th-century art movements. Among those that made an impression during my studies were Joseph Beuys's conceptual works, Anselm Kiefer's powerful paintings, and Baroque art in general."
Kanavaranta 1
Alvar Aalto's influence is also visible in Marianna Heikinheimo's favourite project: "My favourite project is the partial change of use and the space alterations of the Kanavaranta 1 property, the former head office of Stora Enso designed by Alvar Aalto. The building is protected under the Building Protection Act and stands in the heart of Helsinki."
Kanavaranta 1, renovated office space, 2024. © Juha Kassila, Kuvio Oy
"In this project, as the lead designer and architect, I have been able to draw on my own expertise and that of my team in many ways. I am also grateful for the building owner's determination and for the good dialogue with the Finnish Heritage Agency, the Alvar Aalto Museum, and the Helsinki building control authority. The project has also had a good team spirit, and I am very satisfied with the result," Heikinheimo says of her favourite project.
The alteration work on the Kanavaranta 1 property shows Ark-byroo's aim of applying sustainable solutions in design work. This means, for example, repairing rather than replacing in renovation projects. "In the interior alteration work and the interior design solutions at Kanavaranta 1, we favoured mechanical fastening methods instead of glued fastenings, which makes repair and reuse possible in the future. Design solutions that make a circular economy possible have to be taken into account at the early stage of a project, which requires architects to learn a new, innovative way of thinking. A small thing can lead to a big change in culture," Heikinheimo explains.
An image of the BIM model of the Kanavaranta 1 property. © Ark-byroo Oy
In the same project, Heikinheimo has been able to work using innovative methods: "In the Kanavaranta 1 project, we developed new illustrative working methods by sharing the point cloud and the building information model we produced in a browser-based way."
Sustainable development and BIM
In addition to Ark-byroo striving to apply sustainable solutions in its design work, the designers' goal is also to integrate sustainable development practices into their design work and their projects. Heikinheimo clarifies that integrating sustainable development practices starts from values and thinking, and from design choices. As a designer, she has to understand the different options, provide the tools for comparing them, and be able to develop the chosen solution in the desired direction within the limits of the project. "An architect's work requires the constant acquisition of new skills. We have applied life-cycle assessment as part of the preparation of a town plan, to compare the emission impacts of different design options and phases," Marianna Heikinheimo says of the changing demands of an architect's work.
An image of the BIM model of the Aino Ackté villa. © Ark-byroo Oy
Ark-byroo works on property development and renovation projects as a designer and as an expert in building history. The firm's projects consist of many different areas, from laser scanning to building information modelling and life-cycle assessment. "We laser scan buildings, prepare source models, document sites, and carry out life-cycle assessment. We combine technologies and use the hardware and software of several manufacturers. We have defined stable technological paths that support our production processes. As designers, we work mainly in the Archicad environment. Recently we have published several photogrammetric models on the Sketchfab platform," Marianna Heikinheimo says of their new services.
Well-being and economic value from architecture
"Good architecture produces added value for the owner and the user in many ways: as a pleasant and functional environment, as recognition, and as well-managed execution. Good architecture thus produces well-being and economic value." Getting the different actors in a project to internalise this understanding is, in Heikinheimo's view, the greatest challenge in architecture. She considers the greatest challenge for architecture firms to be their development into customer-centred service companies.
Ark-byroo and Marianna Heikinheimo try to answer these challenges by maintaining and adapting old buildings to modern needs: "Our consulting work aims at keeping existing buildings in use and adapting them to meet present-day needs in an ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable way. Our services are based on making use of information in the renovation and development projects of old buildings. We produce information and apply it in our design work."
Marianna Heikinheimo and her team have succeeded well in their projects despite the challenges. This is shown, among other things, by the customer comments they have received:
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"The cooperation has been very good. Ark-byroo's experts are highly skilled and professional. They know how to justify things well." (A construction company)
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"A tight schedule, minimal instructions, tight financing, and yet we ended up with good and fit-for-purpose tender inquiry material. The tenderers had no questions during the pricing, which is quite rare." (A construction and developer consultant)
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"Good service, a good documentary and verbal presentation, the schedule and the promises held. I was left with the impression that in the future too one may ask clarifying questions if something starts to puzzle you. All in all, very good." (A construction and developer consultant)
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