Olavinlinna Castle canopy design architect, Finnish lake architecture, Finland fort restoration project photos
Olavinlinna Castle Canopy Building
Historic building in Finland design by Ark-House Architects
post updated 8 March 2026
Canopy and auditorium at Olavinlinna Castle, Olavinlinna, Savonlinna, Finland
Design: ARK-house Architects / Markku Erholtz, Heikki Paakkinen
19 Dec 2008
Olavinlinna Castle Building Canopy
Erik Axelsson Tott founded the castle of Olavinlinna in 1475, the first stage of the building being completed in 1496. Extensive restoration was carried out from 1959 to 1975.
The canopy and auditorium were made for performances in the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which is held annually in July. They are dismantled after the festival and re-erected the next year.
The solution is based on a tensioned textile membrane, stretched from a framework of steel cables and rods. The canopy is supported on concrete walkway structures built in the 1940s and 1970s and strengthened later.
The castle’s historical structures have been left completely undisturbed. The covered area extends to about 1800 square metres, forming one of Europe’s largest unified textile canopies.
The Olavinlinna Castle Building design is by Ark-house Architects
Olavinlinna Castle Canopy photos / information from Ark-house Architects Dec 2008
Location: Olavinlinna, Savonlinna, Finland, northeast Europe.
Finnish Building Designs
Finnish Architecture Design – chronological list
Finnish Architectural Designs – selection below:
Shiver House in Korppoo
Design: NEON
image courtesy of architects practice
Shiver House was previously installed in 2015 as part of the Barfotastigen exhibition in Korppoo, Finland. The project was intended to be in-situ for 4 months but due to its popularity it was kept on-site on a longer-term basis.
Syvälahti Education Centre Turku
Design: Verstas Architects
photograph : kuvio.com
A new multipurpose building combining a comprehensive school, a day-care centre, a public library, a youth centre and a childcare guidance centre.
Kyrö Distillery Barrel Storage, Kalpatie, Isokyrö
Architects: Avanto Architects Ltd
photograph : kuvio.com
The client is a Finnish craft producer of spirits that started from scratch but is rapidly expanding after winning several international prizes including the best gin & tonic in 2015.
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi
Design: Studio Puisto Architects
photograph : Marc Goodwin (Archmospheres)
The inspiration for the accommodation concept — set on a steep natural slope — came from Nordic nature and culture as well as the magical world of SantaPark.
Finland Library : Turku
Alvar Aalto – Finnish Architect
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Finnish Architecture – Selection
Hanko Ice Cream Kiosk, Helsinki
Wood program 2007: Satoshi Ohtaki + working group
Hanko Ice Cream Kiosk
Hollola Library
Design: Arkkitehdit NRT
Hollola Library
House Moby Dick, Espoo
Design: Arkkitehdit NRT
House Moby Dick
Olavinlinna (Swedish: Olofsborg; literally Olaf’s Castle) is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing. The castle is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi.
Finnish Architect Studios
Buildings / photos for the Olavinlinna Castle Canopy – Finnish Architecture page welcome
