Seven Genelec 4436s make sound behave like light

Designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Finlandia Hall was conceived in 1962 as Helsinki’s concert and congress building. During a major renovation of its infrastructure, carried out between 2022 and 2025, the idea emerged to open Finlandia Hall to a wider audience, both local and international.

Visions of Alvar Aalto, an immersive exhibition exploring Aalto’s creativity and his influence on Finnish architecture and design, was conceived to give visitors a new reason to visit the venue while also highlighting its architectural heritage. To support this constantly evolving exhibition environment with flexible, high-quality audio, a Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker system was selected.

The challenge: sound that tells a story

Finlandia Hall’s technical team was tasked with developing an experience capable of engaging visitors on an emotional level.

The concept was to create an exhibition that showcased Aalto’s work while also giving visitors something meaningful to take away with them. Technology, and particularly audio, would therefore play a fundamental role in creating an immersive soundscape that complemented and enhanced the exhibition’s visual concept, explains Ilari Suonpää, Technical Manager at Finlandia Hall.

Immersive audio and content specialist Aki Päivärinne of OiOi Collective joined the project as lead sound designer at the request of the exhibition’s architect and technical team.

“I wanted to achieve a balanced soundscape that would keep visitors immersed as they move through Aalto’s story”, says Päivärinne. “The audio solution needed to provide highly detailed playback to ensure that every element could be heard clearly, regardless of where visitors were standing”.

A layout still in development

The sound system had to bring Päivärinne’s sonic vision to life while also adapting to the overall exhibition design. Audiovisual integration specialist 4Business Oy, also the Genelec distributor for the project, handled the physical installation.

“When the space was being renovated, the final exhibition layout had not yet been confirmed”, explains Nathan Hayward, Project Manager at 4Business. “It was essential to have a flexible cabling and installation system that could adapt as the project evolved and allow for future expansion”.

“I recommended Genelec Smart IP to the Finlandia technical team because it is a system I trust to deliver premium sound quality while also adapting to evolving environments”, explains Päivärinne.

The choice was driven not only by sonic performance, but also by the ability of the loudspeakers to integrate into the exhibition’s architectural language. Across the installation, 47 4430 loudspeakers blend into each environment thanks to Genelec’s custom RAL colour options, while seven 4436 pendant models become part of the visual aesthetic itself, reflecting Aalto’s approach to light, space and materiality.

Pendant loudspeakers that behave like light

In a space called Power of Light, the sound of piano chords mimics the movement of rays of light. Using Genelec’s Smart IP pendant loudspeakers here seemed like an obvious aesthetic choice, as they distribute sound throughout the room in a way that mirrors Aalto’s lighting concepts, explains Päivärinne. 

Suspended from the ceiling, the 4436s create an intimate, focused listening experience. Their downward-firing design directs the soundscape towards the visitors below.

One colour for each zone

Across the remaining zones, 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers form the foundation of the spatial audio design, with custom RAL colours chosen to suit each space:

• Prelude: five Cobalt Blue (RAL 5013) 4430s reproduce Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia.
• Transition: nine Tarpaulin Grey (RAL 7010) 4430s reproduce flowing creek and woodland sounds.
• Land of Forests: eleven Black 4430s create a calming forest soundscape.
• Together: eighteen Traffic Grey (RAL 7042) 4430s reproduce pencil sketching, distant piano and environmental sounds alongside a film featuring the Finlandia hymn.
• My Aalto: four White 4430s disperse a calm, creative soundscape.

One cable for audio, power and control

The recent renovation was a major consideration during the physical installation. Smart IP’s single network cable for audio, power and control allowed the loudspeakers to be easily positioned and reconfigured as the exhibition concept evolved. A conventional active or passive loudspeaker system would have required separate power and audio cabling, potentially increasing infrastructure requirements and limiting design flexibility, notes Hayward.

By combining video content, spatial audio and the building itself, Visions of Alvar Aalto has given the public a new reason to visit Finlandia Hall.

“The client now has a robust and reliable audio solution that is easy to adapt and scale as the exhibition grows”, comments Hayward.

“Since opening, we have been delighted by the response”, concludes Suonpää. “The exhibition has even exceeded our expectations and, most importantly, achieved what we set out to do: create an attractive new reason for people to visit Finlandia Hall and encourage them to return. It has been rewarding to see how visitors respond to the soundscape and experience the exhibition in their own way”.