The scent of sawdust and strong coffee has finally cleared from the West Wing Atrium, marking the conclusion of this year’s rigorous cross-disciplinary module between the [ART-DES] Visual Arts & Nordic Design track and the [ECO-BUS] Economics stream.
The exhibition, titled “Form, Function, & Finance,” challenged Year 12 students to design modular urban furniture capable of withstanding Turku’s harsh winter climate while remaining commercially viable for municipal procurement.
The Clash of Aesthetics and Audit
The brief was deceptively simple: create a public seating solution that promotes social interaction in sub-zero temperatures. However, the constraints were strict. Under the supervision of Prof. Julian Rossi, design students were required to utilise only locally sourced birch plywood and recycled felt. Simultaneously, students from Ms. Minna-Kaisa Järvinen’s Economics class acted as “Project Auditors,” calculating the unit cost, depreciation rates, and supply chain logistics for each design.
The collaboration was not without friction. “The design team wanted to use imported teak for its water resistance,” noted Ms. Järvinen. “My economists had to intervene. They presented a cost-benefit analysis showing that the import tariffs would make the unit price uncompetitive for the City Council’s budget. It was a harsh lesson in how market forces dictate artistic choices.”
The ‘Steam-Bending’ Incident
The highlight of the showcase—and its most instructive failure—was the “Olo” (Presence) pod, a spherical shelter designed by student team lead Elina Koskinen.
Intended to be the centrepiece of the exhibition, the prototype encountered a critical structural failure just 48 hours before the opening. The team attempted an ambitious steam-bending technique on the main support arch. Due to the dry indoor heating of the studio contrasting with the humidity of the steam chamber, the primary load-bearing strut snapped during assembly.
Rather than hiding the error, Prof. Rossi encouraged the team to display the fractured component alongside the repaired prototype.
“In professional architecture, materials fail,” Prof. Rossi explained during the critique session. “We do not grade students on whether the wood behaves perfectly. We grade them on their response. The team worked through the night, re-engineering the joint with a steel brace improvisation. That splice tells a better story than a pristine, untouched model ever could.”
Community Engagement
The exhibition was critiqued by a visiting panel, including an urban planner from the Turku City Council. While the “Olo” pod drew attention for its ambition, the winning commendation went to the “Kivi” (Stone) bench—a minimalist, modular seating system that utilised waste granite chips from local quarries. The Economics team successfully argued that its maintenance cost over a ten-year period was effectively zero, making it the most fiscally responsible entry.
Looking Ahead
The prototypes will remain on display in the Atrium until the end of the month. As the college moves towards the Spring Term, the Design Department is already stripping back the studio for the next module on sustainable textiles.
This collaboration has reinforced a core Virtanen truth: great design is not just about drawing lines on paper; it is about solving problems within the constraints of physics and finance.
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