April 25: Southern Finland tour – Metso, Tampere
Our first destination in the morning was the Tampere City Library, designed by the idiosyncratic architects Reima and Raili Pietilä and completed in 1986. It's known as Metso ("Capercaillie") because in plan it actually bears a resemblance to one.
8807
It's kind of sci-fi.
8809
The entrance, which I think is the tail/butt of the capercaillie, though maybe it's the beak. — Edit 4/25/2020: after actually bothering to see what capercaillies look like, and looking at Metso in plan, it's the beak — the fan-tail is to the north and east and one wing is to the west.
8812
An interesting conjunction of metal details.
8816
The central oculus.
8820
The oculus's sunbeam looks... eyelike.
8827
Sci-fi skylight.
8833
Pretty sweet vaults. I think the shape represents the spread-out wing of the bird. — Edit 4/25/2020: actually probably the fan-tail, see above.
8837
All kinds of intersections.
8842
Totally TNG.
8847
The Moomin Museum is located in the library's lower level, and it was really neat.
8851
Moving on, going by the Finlayson works. That slab serif face is seriously great.
8853
Mill street.
8854
Mill/canal complexes are pretty much the coolest.