Concrete Dreams continues the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s series of exhibitions exploring the architecture of past decades. In the 1970s, the Finnish nation dreamed of economic growth, prosperity and equality. This exhibition explores the architecture and other phenomena of the controversial decade, unpacking the ideologies and social progress that guided the work of architects at a time when the welfare state was under construction, cities were growing and housing construction was at its peak.

Concrete Dreams invites everyone to experience the spirit of the 1970s, for instance, enticing audiences to imagine how a well-equipped suburban home built of prefabricated concrete elements with adjoining playgrounds felt like for its first residents. It also highlights gems from different typologies: theatres, town halls, university buildings, churches, factories and water towers and challenges audiences to think about the value of these buildings in our environment, now that they have reached an age when they require renovation.