Juha Leiviskä

The recorded working language is Finnish. Works named in the authority record are Männistö Church, Myyrmäki church and St. Distinctions recorded are Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland, Prince Eugen Medal, Henrik Steffens Prize and Feltrinelli Prize.

• Name — Juha Leiviskä • Born — 17 March 1936 • Birthplace — Helsinki, Finland • Died — 9 November 2023 • Place of death — Helsinki, Finland • Practice — Arkkitehtitoimisto Helander-Leiviskä • Significant Buildings — Kouvola Town Hall, Kouvola St. Thomas Church, Oulu Myyrmäki Church, Vantaa Männistö Church, Kuopio Church of the Good Shepherd, Helsinki Vallila Library, Helsinki German Embassy, Helsinki Ad-Dar Centre, Bethlehem Swedish School of Social Science, Helsinki • Significant Design — JL341 Pendant Light Helsinki City Transport bus and tram stop shelter • Awards — Pro Finlandia Medal (1992) Prince Eugen Medal (1994) Carlsberg Architectural Prize (1995) Antonio Feltrinelli Prize (2008)

The son of engineer Toivo Ilmari Leiviskä and teacher Sonja Jämsén-Astala, Leiviskä studied architecture at Helsinki University of Technology, qualifying as an architect in 1963. He established his own office in 1964, while also working as a teaching assistant at Helsinki University of Technology. Leiviskä also worked with architect Bertel Saarnio, and together they won the architectural competition for the Kouvola Town Hall (1964–68), regarded as one of the most significant public buildings in Finland during the 1960s, brought much critical attention to the young architect. Leiviskä came to international attention during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with designs for churches in different parts of Finland, each employing a similar design language. His mature style combines the sensitivity to the dramatics of natural light of German Baroque churches, with compositional principles of Dutch De Stijl architecture of the 1920s, for instance in the way series of parallel, free-standing walls can define space yet deconstruct traditional notions of enclosure. Leiviskä had a joint architect's office in Helsinki with architect Vilhelm Helander - Vilhelm Helander, Juha Leiviskä arkkitehdit SAFA. Juha Leiviskä died on 9 November 2023, at the age of 87.

An integral part of the architecture of Leiviskä's churches was the lamps designed by the architect himself. Leiviskä stated that his lighting fixtures are based on the principles developed by the Danish designer Poul Henningsen for his PH-lamps. The lamps have been taken up as part of the lamps sold by the Artek company, also responsible for marketing the lamps designed by Alvar Aalto. Pendant lamps by Leiviskä are also featured in the British Library in London, designed by the English architect Sir Collin St John Wilson, whom Leiviskä knew personally. Leiviskä also designed the JCDecaux bus and tram stop shelters used by the Helsinki City Transport company.

• Kouvola Town Hall, Kouvola (1968) (with Bertel Saario) • Lemi Old Wooden Church, restoration, Lemi (1969) • Nakkila Parish Centre, Nakkila (1970) • St. Thomas's Church and Parish Centre, Puolivälinkangas, Oulu (1975) • Old Student House, restoration, Helsinki (1980) (with Vilhelm Helander) • Myyrmäki Church, Vantaa (1984) • Kirkkonummi Parish Centre, Kirkkonummi (1984) • Merikasarminkatu 7, housing complex, Helsinki (1984) • Auditorium and workshop building, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio (with Vilhelm Helander) (1985) • Villa Johanna, restoration, Helsinki (1986) (with Marica Schalin) • Harju Chapel restoration and extension, Mikkeli • Auroranlinna housing complex, Helsinki (1990) (with Pekka Kivisalo) • Vallila Library and Daycare Centre, Helsinki (1991) (with Asta Björklund) • Männistö Church, Kuopio (1992) • German Embassy, Kuusisaari, Helsinki (1993) • German Church and Parish Centre, Helsinki, restoration and extension (with Vilhelm Helander) (2001) • Good Shepherd Church, Pakila, Helsinki, restoration and extension (with Vilhelm Helander) (2002) • Ad-Dar Cultural and Conference Center, Bethlehem, Palestine (2005) • Sandels Cultural Centre, Helsinki (2007) (with Rosemarie Schnitzler) • Swedish School of Social Science, Helsinki (2009) (with Jari Heikkinen) • Kipparintalo housing, Kalasatama, Helsinki (2015)

• Illustration — Kouvola Town Hall (with Bertel Saario), 1968. • Illustration — Nakkila Parish Centre, 1970. • Illustration — Myyrmäki Church, 1984. • Illustration — St. Thomas's Church, Oulu, 1975. • Illustration — Kirkkonummi Parish Centre, 1984. • Illustration — Vallila Library and Daycare Centre, Helsinki, 1991. • Illustration — Männistö church, Kuopio, 1992. • Illustration — German Church and Parish Centre, Helsinki, 2001. • Illustration — Good Shepherd Church, Pakila, Helsinki, 2002. • Illustration — Ad-Dar Cultural Center, Palestine, 2005. • Illustration — Sandels Cultural Centre, Helsinki, 2007. • Illustration — Swedish School of Social Science, Helsinki, 2009.

Juha Leiviskä is recorded as having received Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland, Prince Eugen Medal and Henrik Steffens Prize. Recorded at birth as Juha Ilmari Leiviskä.