Bahamankatu Housing, Helsinki
The light-coloured Bahamankatu Housing forms a confident endpoint for the western side branch of Hyväntoivonpuisto park in Jätkäsaari. Bahamankatu Housing encloses a small ground-level courtyard within Jätkäsaari’s smallest block. Along Atlantinkatu, there is a master-planned entrance courtyard with a paved area, trees, and vegetation. Commercial spaces are centralised on the south side facing Bermudankuja, with […]
Housing Reform Competition, Helsinki
The Spårö quarter is an oasis of diverse urban life surrounded by tram tracks. The proposal for the Housing Reform Helsinki 2020 open competition received the” SPÅRÖ” honourary mention (Asuntoreformi Helsinki – Asuminen 2020). The residential buildings wrap around the block with the parking facility placed hidden inside as a compact automated parking system in […]
Koskela Senior Centre, Helsinki
The senior centre is located in the Koskela hospital area which has a masterplan for densification. The division of the senior centre is based on the principle of a quartet consisting of four group homes with 28 inhabitants. These quartets are placed across two separate buildings, which are only connected through the ground floor and […]
Kyösti Kallion tie Housing, Helsinki
Densification plans for Kulosaari included a block for apartments on a former site of a school, next to a church and a rocky park. According to the town plan, the point blocks have been adapted to the terrain, avoiding unnecessary excavation and preserving the rocky part of the plot in its natural state. The apartments […]
Virtarannankatu Housing, Helsinki
Virtarannankatu 3-5 state-subsidised rental housing is an infill-plan implementation in the Eastern Myllypuro, by Mustanpuronpuisto park in Helsinki. The plan called for rowhouses that honour the scale of the single-family houses in the neighbourhood. The buildings were to use timber cladding in warm tones of yellow, red, and brown. State-subsidised housing has a tight budget. […]
Kampin Helmi Senior Housing, Helsinki
“The cream-white housing complex for senior citizens with 93 rental apartments occupies its extremely difficult site with grace and elegance. Kirsti Sivén, Asko Takala and their team make an attractive mark on the townscape with delicate handling of the building volumes, calmly functional spatial design and unpretentious composition of the façades. The building is contemporary […]
Villa Tervas, Kajaani
A retired couple from Kajaani wanted an accessible single-family home for their retirement days in the centre of town. The small historical town of Kajaani is the most populous in the Kainuu region of Finland, over 550km north of Helsinki. Kajaani was founded in the 17th century when it was an important town for the […]
Länsi-Viikinmäki Housing and Parking, Helsinki
The hill-top rocky landscape served as the basis for the design of three buildings containing social housing for rent and right-of-occupancy homes, combined with a parking house. The buildings form a significant part of the visual gateway to the new Länsi-Viikinmäki housing area, as well as acting as a noise barrier against the nearby motorway. […]
Eko-Viikki / Ahomansikka Housing, Helsinki
Helsinki has experimented with sustainability-oriented residential solutions in the Eko-Viikki housing area. Four housing company units, individually named after plants growing in the local area, Ahomansikka (Woodland strawberry), Niittyleinikki (Meadow buttercup), Auringonkukka (Sun flower), and Valkoapila (White clover), build up the residential quarter. Social aspects were a big consideration, both in the private homes and […]
Lars Sonckin tie Houses, Helsinki
On a dramatic site overlooking the sea, three buildings are arranged in a fan-shape on the old garden island suburb of Kulosaari. The magnificent view over the sea is visible right from the entrance, through the tall windows of the double-height living room. On the entrance level, there is the living room, dining space, kitchen, and spare […]