XX. századi műemlékek és védelmük (A 26. Egri Nyári Egyetem előadásai 1996 Eger, 1996)

Előadások: - Maija Kairamo: The rebuilding of the Olympic Satadium of Helsinki 1991-94

MAIJA KAIRAMO THE REBUILDING OF THE OLYMPIC STADIUM OF HELSINKI 1991-94 In October 1989 the European Athletic Assosiation decided that the European Championship in Athletics in 1994 would be hosted by Finland. The Olympic Stadium in Helsinki would be the main venue. The presumption behind the decision was that the stadium would be refurbished before the Championships. This decision started an extensive process entailing the complete renovation of the Olympic Stadium, which is a famous piece of 1930's modernist architecture and said to be the most beautiful stadium in the world. The Helsinki Stadium was originally built in 1934—38 and enlarged for the Olympic games of 1940. The building of the stadium was a great national campaign. Finland was a young nation, having become independent in 1917. The young country wanted to gain a modern, progressive image. Both architecture and sport were to be the means in the campaign to achieve this. Our sportsmen had been succesfull in the Olympic games in Stockholm in 1912 and in Antwerp in 1920. A national campaign was started to build a temple for sports as a monument to independence. A two stage architectural competition was organized in 1932—33 and it was won by architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti. The working description was simple: ,,The stadium will be built of concrete". The Finnish sportsmen continued to have success in the Games in Antwerp in 1920, in Paris in 1924 and in Amsterdam in 1928. This increased the general will to support the financing of the stadium. All sorts of products, drinks, suits, cigarettes, bread, polywood products, shoes, sweets etc. marked by the sign of stadium were sold to collect money for the construction works. The architecture and the construction of the stadium was avant-garde functional ism. The 72 meters high whitewashed concrete tower is still seen from all over the city of Helsinki and marks the site of the stadium. The oval grandstand and a thin concrete wall bind together the bearing joint pillars. The main (western) stand is covered by a thin concrete roof, which is supported by slim iron pillars with mushroom capitals. The whole edifice was made of cast reinforced concrete. All the details were carefully designed by the architects. Steel, glass and wood were the additional materials, used colours were white, blue, natural concrete grey and a dark wood brown. The whole construction formed a continuous system expressing a beauty of tensions. The construction works were followed by the whole nation. A famous photographer, Foto Roos, documented the work daily. When Japan cancelled of hosting the Olympic Games in 1940, Finland was chosen instead to organize the Games and the original concrete auditorium was enlarged by a provisional wooden stage. However the Games were cancelled because of the Second World War. The stadium suffered, though fortunately not seriously, in the war. After the war Finland was chosen as the site for the Games for 1952 after London in 1948. Again, a new rebuilding period started, the seating stage was enlarged by additional concrete constructions and a new provisional wooden seating stage.