This was the first multi-residential project to be built on the main street of Tampere for over six decades.
The plot was divided from a larger block which has a 1930´s functionalistic block of flats called Hjort House.
The invited competition had two goals. The first task was to replace an old two-floor functionalist building with a block of flats and an underground garage serving the neighbourhood. The second task was to study the possibilities of an old 1910 courtyard building, a former cinema theatre. The program asked for two proposals: one to replace and another to save the existing buildings.
First, we worked to retain the existing buildings, to understand the context and the history. The office received an honorary mention for the best proposal to save the existing building, and 1st prize for a new construction design, which was implemented. For a new build, it was important to retain a feeling of the past. A three-floor glazed foyer honours the former cinema forecourt and the window arrangement is in dialogue with the neighbouring building. From the rear building, there is a direct connection to the street-facing block, and above the commercial spaces, there is an urban version of a rowhouse.
Hämeenkatu 31 has been published in The Finnish Architectural Review Arkkitehti 2/2009
The project won an award from Tampere City in 2008. The building has also been published in Arkkitehti-magazine, 2/2009.
Year: 2008
Location: Tampere, Finland
Image credits: 1, Malmberg, 2-8 Kaarsalo
Team: Kirsti Sivén, Asko Takala, Mika Rantala, Riku Rönkä, Alex Torres, Tapani Lehtinen, Jonas Malmberg, Tatu Pärssinen, Nina Vauhkonen, Maija Korkeela, Annika Väisänen, Taito Heino, Varvara Protassova
