The winner of the Element Designer of the Year 2026 award is Anna Hämäläinen, M.Sc. (Engineering), from Lahti. Anna Hämäläinen works as a structural designer at Sweco's Lahti office.
Anna has around ten years of experience in structural engineering. Anna started working at Sweco while still a student, and the learning curve has been steeply upward ever since.
Anna is exceptionally fast and precise even under pressure and in a hurry. Her contribution is reflected in the technical quality of the projects, their financial success and very smooth cooperation. Anna's strengths are, above all, the accuracy and efficiency of the design work. Anna communicates smoothly, directly and immediately with all parties – both her own design team, contractors and element factories. Anna has also actively adopted the latest design tools and commented on their development targets with a low threshold.
The jury believes that Anna conveys exactly the kind of image of a component designer that this award is intended to convey. People like Anna are driving our industry forward, in exactly the direction that the component industry wants to take component design. The jury particularly appreciated Anna's statement: "When you're in a hurry, you have to be more precise. If you make corrections in a hurry, it just creates more hurry."
Justifications for choosing Anna as the recipient of the award:
“Anna is able to combine the drawing precision of the old union with new technologies and tools in her own everyday life."
“It is clear that element design has been done. Even though there are tolerances in concrete construction, Anna always does it right to the last detail. Collaboration with other parties also flows naturally, and she always finds time to help others. Anna also gives you very insightful tips and insider information regarding element design.”
"Anna has both speed and quality."
“Anna is reliable, precise and efficient!”
The purpose of the annual element designer competition, organized for the sixth time by the element division of the Finnish Concrete Industry Association, is to encourage the development of high-quality concrete element design. The competition is organized every other year. The winning element designer is awarded a personal cash prize of 5.000 euros.
The main criteria for the award are collaboration, quality of plans, adherence to schedules, technical expertise and cost awareness. The award can also be granted as a lifetime achievement award to a precast element designer who has distinguished himself as a designer of concrete elements.
The jury for the Element Designer of the Year 2026 award was chaired by Juha Ramo and the members were the Concrete Industry Federation's element committee. The secretary of the jury was the section manager Janne Kihula from Betoniteollisuus ry.
For more information:
Janne Kihula,
Division Manager (elements), M.Sc. (Econ.), Concrete Industry Association
tel. 040 514 6510