Marja Petäjä

Marja Petäjä (née Koskelo) studied architecture at Helsinki University of Technology. Her brother, Heikki Koskelo, was also an architect. 

In 1950, she established a shared office with her architect husband Keijo Petäjä, after winning the architectural competition for the Central Finland vocational school. 

One of Marja and Keijo Petäjä’s key works is Lauttasaari Church in western Helsinki. They also designed their home and studio in Lauttasaari. Bringing domestic and workspaces together was a common choice for architect couples in the 20th century, to combine work and family life, as had done the Aalto couple. 

In 2011, Marja Petäjä was awarded the title Honorary Member of the Association of Finnish Female Architects, Architecta. 

Marja and Keijo Petäjä’s children, Käpy Paavilainen (née Petäjä) and Juha Petäjä, are also architects. After Keijo Petäjä’s death in 1988, their son Juha took charge of the office, which still operates in the same premises since 1957.