Dipoli
| Dipoli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Conference Center |
| Architectural style | Expressionist Modern[1] |
| Location |
 Espoo, Finland |
| Coordinates | 60°11′6″N 24°49′57″E / 60.18500°N 24.83250°ECoordinates: 60°11′6″N 24°49′57″E / 60.18500°N 24.83250°E |
| Construction started | 1965 |
| Completed | 1966 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Reima and Raili Pietilä |
Dipoli is a conference center located in Espoo, Finland as a part of the Otaniemi campus of the Aalto University (successor of Helsinki University of Technology, TKK).
Name
The name of the building is a pun: it can mean dipole in Finnish, but also "the second Poli", the second building of the polytechnic students.[2][3] The original students' clubhouse, "the Old Poli" (Finnish: Vanha Poli), was an Art Nouveau building located on Lönnrotinkatu in Helsinki that was left behind when the university moved to Otaniemi.
History
When Helsinki University of Technology moved from Helsinki to Espoo in the early 1960s, a design contest was held for what would become the new building for the Student Union of the university. The contest was won by Reima and Raili Pietilä, and their 1961 design was used as the blueprint for the Dipoli building. Work began in 1965, and the building was ready for use in the fall of 1966.[3][4]
In 1993 the building was transformed into a training centre of the university due to high maintenance costs. Besides its primary role, Dipoli is still regularly used for conventions, congresses and student parties. The building houses over 20 conference rooms and auditoriums.[3]
Dipoli was owned by the student union of Aalto University until 2013 when it was announced that the building will be sold to the university itself for an undisclosed sum. The building is expected to go under extensive renovations currently scheduled to start in 2015.[4]
Architecture
The building uses extentively materials from the Finnish nature, such as pine wood, copper, and natural rocks. Dipoli has 500 windows of which only four are identical.[3]
References
- ↑ "Dipoli Conference Center". GreatBuildings. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Maarit Kaimio. "Eurolatinaa Meritalandiassa" (in Finnish). Institute for the Languages of Finland. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "History of Dipoli". Aalto University. October 31, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Johanna Sjöholm (December 20, 2013). "Opiskelijat luopuvat Otaniemen Dipolista" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved February 14, 2014.