A masterpiece of Finnish architecture – The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi is opened after a renovation project
The five-year-long renovation project of the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, designed by architecture couple Raili and Reima Pietilä, has been finished. The re-opening of the Embassy was celebrated on the 29th of November in 2018, when Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Anne-Mari Virolainen, inaugurated the compound.
The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi was designed by architects Raili and Reima Pietilä in 1963. The plan of the Pietilä couple, called “Snow speaks on the mountains”, is a masterpiece of Finnish architecture, where one can see both Finland and India.
In the centre of the Embassy’s architecture are the shapes of the roofs that resemble sculptures created by nature on ice during winter’s freeze. “The art of the winter” works in the same fashion both in the high slopes of Himalaya in India, and in the winter of Nordics. The Finnish Embassy in New Delhi is one of the most significant works of the Pietilä couple, along with the official residence of the President of Finland, and the main library of the city of Tampere.
The construction of the Embassy began in the 1980s and in 1986 the Embassy was inaugurated. The challenging climate of Delhi and passing of the time took their toll over the years, and the extensive renovation project of the Embassy was started in 2013. The renovation covered the entire compound and was led by Finnish Architecture firm ALA. Other current projects of ALA include, for instance, the new city library of Helsinki, called Oodi.
The Finnish Embassy is often mentioned as one of the most beautiful Embassies of Delhi. It consists of the Ambassador’s residence, the chancery, the offices of visa and consular services, the office of Business Finland, staff apartments and a Finnish sauna.