OOPEAA

General information

Anssi Lassila is the founder and principal of OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture. His international breakthrough was the Kärsämäki Shingle Church in 2004 after which he quickly gained a distinctive position among young Finnish architects. His architecture displays an interest in combining a sculptural form with traditional materials and innovative techniques. Lassila has extensive experience in working with wood in architecture. In his approach he emphasizes the potential embedded in exploring new methods and techniques as a means of developing new solutions in building.
OOPEAA works on a wide range of projects on varying scales from churches and daycare centers to housing and town planning as well as extensions to historically valuable landmarks. The office was originally founded in 2001 and it is based in Seinäjoki and Helsinki, Finland, and it currently employs a staff of 15. OOPEAA has been honored with significant awards both in Finland and abroad, including the Finlandia Prize for Architecture in 2015 and the Wood Architecture Award in 2015 as well as nominations for the shortlist for the Mies van der Rohe European Prize for Architecture in 2005 and in 2011.