Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers have helped to shape a new immersive exhibition at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Finland.
Designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Finlandia Hall was commissioned as Helsinki's concert and congress building back in 1962.
During a major renovation of the building’s infrastructure between 2022 and 2025, the idea emerged to open Finlandia Hall more widely to locals and tourists.
Visions of Alvar Aalto, an immersive exhibition detailing Aalto’s creativity and influence on Finnish architecture and design, was conceived to give visitors a new reason to visit Finlandia Hall while drawing greater attention to its architectural heritage.
A Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker system was
selected to support the evolving exhibition environment with flexible, high-quality audio.
Finlandia Hall’s technical team was tasked with developing an experience that would emotionally engage guests. “The concept was to create an exhibition that showcases Aalto’s work while giving visitors something meaningful to take away
for themselves,” says Ilari Suonpää, technical manager at Finlandia Hall. ‘Technology, particularly audio, would therefore play a crucial role in creating an immersive soundscape that complements and enhances the visual exhibit.”
Immersive audio and content specialist Aki Päivärinne of OiOi Collective was approached by the
exhibition's architect and technical team to join the project as lead sound designer. “I wanted to achieve a balanced soundscape that keeps visitors immersed as they move through Aalto’s story,” continues Päivärinne. “The audio solution would need to deliver crystal-clear playback to ensure every
detail can be heard wherever visitors are standing.”
The sound system needed to translate Päivärinne’s sonic vision into reality as well as support the overall exhibition design. Audio-visual integration specialist, 4Business Oy, was enlisted to carry out the physical installation.
Across the installation, forty-seven 4430
loudspeakers blend into each environment, using Genelec’s custom RAL colour options to match each zone, while seven 4436 pendant models become part of the visual aesthetic, reflecting Aalto’s own approach to light, space, and materiality.
Across the remaining exhibition zones, 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers form
the foundation of Päivärinne’s spatial audio design, with custom RAL colours matching each space. In ‘Prelude’, five Cobalt Blue (RAL 5013) 4430s deliver Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia.
Nine Tarpaulin Grey (RAL 7010) 4430s create a transition with flowing creek and woodland sounds, leading to ‘Land
of Forests’, where eleven Black 4430s deliver a calming forest soundscape. In ‘Together’, eighteen Traffic Grey (RAL 7042) 4430s reproduce pencil sketching, distant piano and environmental sounds alongside a film featuring the Finlandia hymn. Finally, four White 4430s in ‘My Aalto’ disperse a calm soundscape.