Esa Piironen

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Esa Erkki Piironen (born 25 October 1943 in Turku) is a Finnish architect. He studied at Helsinki University of Technology, finishing as an architect in 1970, and earned a Master of Architecture from North Carolina State University in 1972. He taught at Helsinki University of Technology from 1972 to 1981 and earned a Licentiate in Technology in 1978.

Early in his career he worked in Pekka Pitkänen’s Turku office (1959–1969) and began private practice in 1966 with Mikko Pulkkinen, designing small houses around Turku. In 1970 he formed Suunnittelutoimisto G4 with Ola Laiho, Esko Miettinen and Juhani Pallasmaa; they designed sign systems for Helsinki Metro, the State Railways and other institutions until 1985. In 1978 he started a new office with Sakari Aartelo. Tampere Hall, completed in 1990, became one of his major works. He founded Esa Piironen Architects in 1990, a practice that handles a wide range of projects and emphasizes environmentally responsible, human-centered design, often winning public competitions.

A notable project is the Helsinki Central Station Platform Roofing (2001). Since 2007 he has worked with ALA Architects on the Aalto University (Otaniemi) and Keilaniemi metro stations, completed in 2017. In 2012 he was a visiting professor at Guangdong University of Technology School of Art and Design. His work has been published worldwide, and he has lectured on urban design, architecture and environmental design. A guiding belief: In architecture, the spirit is more important than the material.