Anssi Lassila

The Finnish architect Anssi Lassila was born in Soini 1973. He graduated with the grade “excellent” and a special mention from the Department of Architecture, University of Oulu 2002. Anssi Lassila lives and works in Seinäjoki and in Helsinki, Finland. He is the founder and the principal partner of OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture formerly known as Lassila Hirvilammi Architects Ltd. OOPEAA works on a large variety of different types of projects: churches, office buildings, housing, private residences, interior design and renovations. It has offices in Seinäjoki and Helsinki, Finland, and it currently employs a staff of 10. The office has been rewarded with significant awards and nominations and has won several prizes in architecture competitions. Anssi Lassila originally founded the office under the name Lassila Malmberg Architects in Oulu in 2001 following the success in the student competition for the Kärsämäki Shingle Church in 1999 and in an open competition for the Klaukkala Church in 2000. Both projects were completed in 2004. Following the completion of these two early projects in 2004, Anssi moved the office to Seinäjoki and Teemu Hirvilammi joined as a minor partner. During this time an idea about a peripheral sensitivity as a part of the creative process begun to mature. In 2014 Lassila Hirvilammi Architects changed its name to OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture. OOPEAA 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. Our work is characterized by a strong interest in the way different materials naturally behave. Yet, we are also fascinated by the possibility of experimenting with new techniques and innovative solutions. The work of OOPEAA is about venturing into the borderline and finding the edge. It is about identifying possibilities in the place where an understanding of tradition meets an open attitude towards the new.

Architecture