DESTINATION DRIVE
DESTINATION DRIVE natural light is indirect,” explains Mikko. “We wanted people to feel comfortable, but also elevated by the space.” Though a Lutheran chapel, this is a place of silence for everyone. While ash wood pews line the space, there are cushions for meditation, prayer mats and even a qibla mark indicating the direction of Mecca. When you do enter, you can talk not only to a priest, but also a social worker or, of course, you can simply sit in silence. “I know many people who come here on their way to downtown offices,” says Mikko. “They come up from the metro station and just come here for a few minutes, to relax and be with their thoughts.” “There are silent places in all cities, like libraries,” agrees the chapel’s manager, Nanna Helaakoski. “But this is something unique. This is the busiest area in the whole of Finland, but it’s a silent space anyone can easily enter.” Finns seem to do such time-out spaces well. Almost in sight of the chapel, the new Oodi central library, opened in December 2018, is another soaring wooden structure redefining the centre of Helsinki. Inside its boat-like beams, Oodi has created not simply a library, but a communal space for quiet personal work and reflection. Over three floors, there are endless armchairs, maker workbenches with sewing machines and 3D printers and ‘break-out spaces’ where you can simply lounge on the carpets with your laptop. Bare wood, potted trees and soft, diffuse light from ceiling portholes heighten the sense of natural serenity. It feels like the right direction for the future of a modern city. Helsinki is a city that holds the silence of the wilderness close, especially in the wintertime, when it is covered in deep snow. If you were to stand in its central square and draw a radius of 40km, you’d encompass an archipelago of forested isles, a rippling coastline of bays, spits and estuaries and two national parks. Given that the Jaguar I-PACE has a range of 292 miles* on a single charge, that’s a whole lot of nature within our grasp. Recharging is also a lot quicker than you might expect. The rapid charging CCS plug can get the battery from zero to 80% charge in about 45 minutes**. A warming lunch in a roadside diner was the perfect amount of time to “ HELSINKI IS A CITY THAT HOLDS THE SILENCE OF THE WILDERNESS CLOSE, ESPECIALLY DURING WINTER” get the car charged up, too, and ready to explore. Departing the city for the Nuuksio National Park, it’s not only the electric Jaguar’s silence that strikes you, but its effortlessness. Without a traditional gearbox, there’s no lag in acceleration. The battery is positioned low between the axles, planting the car firmly on the ground, and providing a punchy 400PS of peak power. Our destination is Haltia, the headquarters of the Finnish national parks system. It’s housed in an extraordinary building that, when you look beneath the wooden surface, has a lot in common with the I-PACE. The I-PACE stores its energy in high-density lithium-ion pouch cells in its 90kWh battery. Haltia combines solar and geothermal energy systems to be largely self-sufficient in energy use. Holes have been drilled 11km deep into the bedrock beneath the building. Heat from the solar panels is pumped into the rock during the summer, replacing cold air that comes up to cool the building. When winter arrives, the previous summer’s heat warms things up again. As the centre’s director, Tom Selanniemi, puts it: “It’s like the ultimate natural battery.” Everything in Finland seems to lead back to the forest. Like the Kamppi Chapel, wood plays a major role in Haltia’s construction. And, like Kamppi, the wood is merely waxed – not painted or lacquered – so it breathes. And, like Kamppi, it has an organic, almost egg-like structure. “We’re trying to combine elements from our history, our mythology, from science, from art and from nature,” says Tom. “Haltia is shaped like the Goldeneye (a sea duck common to Finland), with an egg as the centrepiece of our main exhibition space. The reason is that we Finns know that the world started from the egg of the Goldeneye.” Tom smiles wryly as he offers this revelatory news. He’s recounting part of the Kalevala – the Finnish national epic poem that tells of the origin of the world and all life, embedding Finnish culture back into the lakes and forests that are its heartland. A recurring theme among Finns we talk to is the return to nature; specifically the silence of the country cabin. Almost everyone in Finland has access to a cabin, usually next to a *Fuel consumption: N/A. CO2 Emissions: 0 (g/km). EV Range: Up to 292 miles. EV range figures are based upon production vehicle over a standardised route. Range achieved will vary dependent on vehicle and battery condition, actual route and environment and driving style. **Reflects charging the vehicle with a 100kW charger. 28 THE JAGUAR
Whether exploring the wilderness with guide Markku Janhonen (below) or visiting modern buildings such as the Oodi library (left) or Haltia (right, with director Tom Selanniemi), the I-PACE proves a graceful companion