My field of teaching focuses on the design of public buildings, specifically the architecture of schools, daycare centers, museums, cultural buildings, offices, and social and healthcare facilities, as well as hybrids of these types. I am particularly interested in learning environments and museum architecture, both of which are special areas of research for me. (MultiLED-project on Multidisciplinary perspectives on Learning environment Design 2023-25 and Futuland-project 2024-). My doctoral dissertation explored single-family houses and the ideals of living in the 1950s and 1960s. I aim to enhance collaboration between artists and architects and have organized joint courses for art students and architecture students.

I served as the director of the SOTERA Institute, a research group within the Department of Architecture that specializes in social and healthcare facilities in 2013-2019. Additionally, I was the academic leader for the Living+ platform, a multidisciplinary research initiative focused on human-centered living environments. From 2019 to 2024, I was the Head of the Department of Architecture. Prior to becoming a professor of building design, I taught housing design, which remains a subject close to my heart.

The societal impact of architecture is significant to me, and I actively participate in professional networks, such as the Association of Finnish Architects (SAFA). I served as the chairman of the governmental board of the Museum of Finnish Architecture. I enjoy engaging in public discussions on architecture and the construction industry, both on social media and in other forums.

Background

My background is rooted in practice. I was a partner at Sanaksenaho Architects Ltd from 1997 to 2025. Our office has designed student housing, elderly homes, daycare centers, private villas, and public buildings such as the ecumenical chapel in Turku and the student health care center (YTHS) in Helsinki. We have also undertaken projects in China. Sanaksenaho Architects was invited to the CIPEA - China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture in Nanjing in 2004, to ORDOS 100 in Inner Mongolia in 2008, and to a competition for the Sino-Finnish Center in Nanjing in 2016. Sanaksenaho Architects was featured in the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2004 at the "Metamorph" exhibition in the Arsenale and the Italian Pavilion, and our projects have been exhibited in the Nordic Pavilion in 1996 and 2012. Our projects have been widely published in international architectural magazines, both in print and online. Since October 2025, I have been running my own office, Studio Pirjo Sanaksenaho Ltd.