RISTO VÄÄTÄNEN

The pioneer of heavy industry design

Risto Väätänen (b. 1945) has reached a position in his long career where he is able to influence on the products and operation of a large company in worldwide projects. Väätänen is a pioneer who has made the heavy industries to understand the financial purpose of design. Väätänen calls himself a "secretly green" designer, who has always infiltrated to the site and is able to influence on things there. His basic principle as a designer has been "less is more" which means everything, material, energy, parts, work stages etc. All these are environmentally friendly deeds but they also improve the products and the competitiveness of the company.

Risto Väätänen graduated as an industrial designer at the Art Institute in 1971. Soon after graduating, Väätänen found his place in the design of paper industry machines, working for Wärtsilä, then for Valmet and Metso. Väätänen's idea, the Metso's design centre, was established in Järvenpää in 2003, and Väätänen as the head of the design centre has coordinated the design in the Metso Group. Väätänen's career as an industrial designer was awarded with the Kaj Franck Design Prize in 2003 and he was selected as the industrial designer of the year in 1999.