Heating Helsinki: An Architectural History of Fuel and Space
Doctoral thesis. (2022–). Dissertation tentative title: ”Heating Helsinki: An Architectural History of Fuel and Space”.
Dissertation advisors: Prof. Barnabas Calder, Dr Ranald Lawrence, Prof Panu Savolainen
The energy intensity and availability of hydrocarbons have, in a relatively short span of human history, transformed our expectations of the built environment. Transitioning beyond a fossil fuel paradigm requires a critical accounting of how it has shaped our understanding of space and the boundaries of architectural analysis. This study responds to this challenge by examining how Helsinki’s heating infrastructures evolved alongside its shift from domestic biofuels to imported fossil fuels, illustrating how these transitions influenced the city.
Today as in the past, the availability, specific attributes, and connected technology of various fuels have posed constraints on space across all architectural scales spanning urban planning to individual room design. To illustrate how these dynamics have evolved in Helsinki over its industrial period, this thesis presents three case studies. Each case study will examine a distinct period in Helsinki’s heating history by looking at the building through the broader heating infrastructure limited not only to the city but to the contingencies posed by the broader energy market in Europe. Case 1 will describe wood fuels and stove heating in the 1880s, Case 2 will cover the use of coal use and central heating in the 1920s and Case three will look at oil and district heating in the 1970s. For each case the following questions will be addressed: What did keeping warm mean at various fuel paradigms?
Through archival research, and spatial analysis, the thesis attempts to parse out the intricate relationship between fuel and spatial design in Helsinki. By revealing how architecture has reflected fuel use across different eras, this thesis attempts to uncover insights that may inform both historical understanding and future sustainable practices in architecture.