YOUNG FINNS

Contemporary Finland is anything but nation of sleepy small towns. It has been energized by an economic boom propelled by communication technology. Entire areas of Helsinki are renewed, rebuilt, reinvented. Next to the new office campuses of Nokia and other high-tech companies, new urban areas like Ruoholahti offer modern living by the waterfront, while the city center features new landmarks by Finnish and foreign designers. And no other country offers as many opportunities for young architects. Next week Sabine von Fischer will introduce us to some of these firms and their work.

WHAT DOES AN ARCHITECT DO?

To many, what architects do is a mystery. Buildings simply appear. The general public has so little understanding of design vocabulary that buildings are incorporated into public life devoid of meaning. To alleviate this situation, educator Claire Gallagher works to raise public awareness and appreciation of the built environment, and to make architecture more widely understood outside the profession. She works with children and adults with the goal of helping children and their families become better consumers of architecture. Next week she'll show us what she teaches and why.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY ARCHITECTS

This month the Philadelphia Museum of Art opened a new exhibit, "Out of the Ordinary" featuring decades of work by the hometown firm of internationally famous Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. At the show’s opening the architects gave visitors a glimpse at some of the thinking behind their famous architectural creations, both built and unbuilt. What do we really learn from Las Vegas? And what is the difference between a "Duck" and a "Decorated Shed"? Find out next week as Diane Fiske guides our tour through the exhibit and the firm's history.