Jaakko Torvinen
Biography
Jaakko Torvinen is a PhD researcher at the Department of Architecture, Aalto University. His research focuses on naturally shaped wood in architecture and construction, which continues the theme of the pine tree columns of the Little Finlandia designed by him and colleagues.
Test logs waiting for the hydraulic press.
Photos: Jaakko Torvinen, 2025.
The Wood, The bad, and The Ugly
2025
2,5 m x 2 m
Wood (Pine, Pinus Sylvestris)
This exhibition highlights discarded wood parts, stripped bare by pressure washing, exposing them in a raw state. These logs have been broken using a hydraulic press as part of an investigation into their structural potential. By bringing these logs into the exhibition space, their aesthetic potential comes to light. The work invites us to reconsider the types of wood we use in architecture—could we expand our approach and embrace a wider range of wooden elements in contemporary design?
