Sajos – Sámi Cultural Centre

The Sámi Cultural Centre is located on the northern edge of the centre of the village of Inari, on the south bank of the Juutuanjoki river. On the north bank, behind the bridge, is Siida, the Sámi Museum.

The entrance court opens to the south, towards the village. The building is approached through softly shaped areas of planting towards the curved end of the courtyard. Inside the building, there is a view of the unspoilt river landscape between the auditorium and the Sámi Parliament Hall

The building is divided into four branches according to function. The entrance foyer is in the middle between two oval-shaped halls. There are many different types of space: the Parliament Hall, an auditorium with variable acoustics, a multi-purpose hall, a restaurant, a library, recording and video-editing studios, plus classrooms, archive spaces, offices and conference rooms.

The use of wood expresses the Sámi culture and the species used can be found in the surrounding area. The elevations are articulated by vertical boards running up to the eaves line. They give the building a uniform appearance and create a range of different views depending on the viewpoint. Behind the boards, the elevations are made up of strips of vertical cladding in various widths and strips of glass. The cladding is in spruce treated with ferrous sulphate.

Their curved forms dominate the foyer. The vertical wood interior cladding is special-grade pine treated with fire-proofing. The suspended ceilings and some of the wall surfaces in the foyer are in woodwool panels made of wood and magnesium carbonate. The slabs act as acoustic surfaces and their roughness brings a feeling for materials into the interior. The floor is specially finished concrete.

The curved shapes of the auditorium and the Parliament Hall together with the acoustic requirements posed a particular challenge for the execution of the interior cladding. The birch-batten wall finish in the Parliament Hall is treated with fire-proofing. The acoustic panels in the auditorium and the multi-purpose hall are finished in birch veneer.

The roof slopes down towards the northeast. The roof-light over the Parliament Hall and the auditorium roof punctuate the otherwise uniform roof slope. The frame of the freeform building is in concrete. Heat insulation is low-energy level. The building is furnished with a sprinkler system.