Stop the Wrecking Ball

In Finland, buildings are now being demolished at almost the same rate as during the peak years of demolition in the 1960s and 1970s, when significant parts of the wooden towns disappeared. Today, increasingly newer buildings are under threat of demolition, particularly buildings from the 1960s and 1970s, but even the built environment of the 1990s is now being questioned.

The construction sector accounts for around a third of Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions and as much as 40 per cent of its waste. Large quantities of materials and energy are lost during demolition. Furthermore, the history associated with these buildings is lost when they are demolished. The exhibition examines the environmental impacts of demolition and highlights alternatives such as renovation, maintenance, and the reuse of buildings.

The “Stop the Wrecking Ball” exhibition is part of a national campaign that encourages people to examine the built environment and consider what kind of surroundings we will leave to future generations. The Porvoo Museum has supplemented the campaign’s existing exhibition material with examples from the Eastern Uusimaa region.