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Alusta pavilion moved to the Aalto Campus

The giant insect hotel, Alusta pavilion, has permanently moved to Aalto University’s campus in Otaniemi. Its goal is to reconnect humans and nature, and to tackle the loss of biodiversity.
Alusta pavilion. Photo: Elina Koivisto
Photo: Elina Koivisto

Built of clay and ecological materials, the pavilion creates a non-toxic and easily recyclable environment for the pollinators, plants, birds and other species. Between 2022 and 2024, the pavilion was located in the event courtyard between the Museum of Architecture and the Design Museum in Helsinki, attracting both pollinators and people to enjoy and spend time there.

The pavilion creators, architects Elina Koivisto and Maiju Suomi suggest that promoting biodiversity through land use and urban planning can enhance well-being and help mitigate climate change effects.

Alusta pavilion is a place for encounters between humans and non-human animals in urban space. It is shaped in collaboration with plants, human visitors, natural processes, and the passing of time. 

The aim of the project, carried out in collaboration with ecology researchers at the University of Helsinki, is to increase biodiversity in the urban environment. The project highlights the essential importance of soil and its organisms for the well-being of the ecosystem.

The Alusta pavilion was opened on campus 14 August.

Location: Alusta pavilion, in front of Otakaari 1X, Espoo

A human-friendly, giant insect hotel emerged in the middle of the city

Alusta, built from clay and populated by plants, is a sanctuary for pollinators and a meeting place for all living things

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Tiiliseinä, jonka vieressä vaaleanpunaisia kukkia, taustalle korkeita, vanhoja taloja.
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