Avanto Architects Ltd. was established in 2004 by Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen, after winning an open competition for a cemetery chapel. The office currently works for public communities, private companies and private customers. The scope of work varies from small scale art projects to urban planning. The office is a member of the Association of Finnish Architects’ Offices (ATL). The office has special knowledge on the use of wood and designing sacral buildings. The partners have been studying at Helsinki University of Technology and abroad in Paris and Delft. They have work experience both from Finnish and foreign architecture offices, and have been teaching architecture and given lectures both in Finland and abroad. Avanto Architects have received many prizes and grants. Their work has been shown in several exhibitions and published widely in most important international architecture magazines. The name of the company means a hole in the ice. Avanto Architects’ wants to create architecture that is based on experiences. They use light and space for emotional effects, as in the design for the cemetery chapel, where the mourner’s process of sorrow during a memorial service was the starting point for the architecture. A composition of spaces of different character forms a sequence of varying atmospheres, comforting the mourners and giving them hope in a difficult situation. The architecture is designed for people and it is successful if it provides moving experiences.