Fourth Edition 2013-2014

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Anssi Lassila was born in 1973 in Soini, Finland. In 2002 he received a M. Arch. from the University of Oulu. In 2001 he founded Lassila Mannberg Architects. He is currently the principal partner of OOPEAA, Office for Peripheral Architecture, based in Seinäjoki and Helsinki.

Teemu Hirvilammi was born in 1974 in Seinäjoki, Finland. In 2010 he received a M. Arch. from the University of Oulu. He joined the office as a partner in 2004, when Lassila Mannberg Architects moved to Seinäjoki and became Lassila Hirvilammi Architects. In 2014 Lassila Hirvilammi Architects changed its name to OOPEAA.

OOPEAA works on a range of different types of projects: churches, office buildings, housing, private houses, interior design and renovations. The office has been recognized with significant awards and nominations and has won several prizes in architecture competitions. OOPEAA understand the notion of periphery to mean a space of possibility on the borderline between two different worlds and it strives for an architecture that finds its inspiration in the state of being in-between – between urban and rural, but always in relationship to both; between a deep respect for tradition and an appreciation of the contemporary; rooted in the local and yet part of a larger international context. Its work is characterized by a strong interest in the way different materials naturally behave and a fascination for the possibility of experimenting with new techniques to find innovative solutions.