Academician of Art Vilhelm Helander is dead

Arja Lukin, Secretary General of the Finnish Association of Architects SAFA, tells HS. Helander was awarded the title of art academician last year.

Helander was an architect specializing in restoration and building protection, known for the renovation of the old Student House and the House of the Estates, for example. He was professor of architecture at Aalto University from 1985 to 2004.

Helander’s last work was the current planning of the Helsinki Cathedral Facade Repair.

At the end of last year, Helander received the title of art academician. According to the Government of the Art Council, Helander was a major developer of Nordic building protection theory since the 1970s. In his repair work, he respected the architecture of different eras and worked to preserve it.

Helander has previously received the State Information Publication Prize in 1971 and the Pro Finlandia Medal in 1998.