Competition Winner
| Category | Urban planning |
| Team leader | Tero Vanhanen, R&D Leader, Hartela |
| Main architects | Cederqvist & Jäntti Architects |
| Team members | ArkOpen Oy, WSP Finland Oy, Granlund Oy , Realprojekti Oy, TA Rakennuttaja Oy and VVO-yhtymä Oyj |
| Team member ArkOpen speciality | Housing types and open building solutions |
| Year | 2013 |
The Helsinki region is widening to the west and the new metro construction started in 2012. The City of Espoo launched a competition in autumn 2012 for the development of a new sub-centre with 300 000 m² of floor area to be built 2015-2030, mainly housing and the Commercial Metro Centre. The City invited seven significant Finnish construction companies with their teams to submit proposals for detailed town planning. The competition area was divided into nine subareas of which each invited team could choose for themselves the most suitable ones. The intention was to implement the best proposals and enter into agreements with the winning teams about the building of one or more subareas of the Metro Centre.
The Hartela team under the leadership of R&D chief Tero Vanhanen consists of the main designer Cederqvist & Jäntti Architects in co-operation with ArkOpen and four other consultants for traffic, commerce and various technical and environmental aspects. The team decided to make a proposal that differed significantly from the preliminary city layout, concentrating on the central area. The central ideas were to achieve good integration between buildings and landscape and to use Open Building principles to gain advantages for resident adaptation and good life cycle capacity.
The jury of the competition declared the Hartela-team project overall winner and the City of Espoo decided to begin planning of the whole central area with this team. The co-operation work is now in early master plan stage. Closer implementing negotiations will start and other building firms will be involved. The design principles are fixed through the competition, but the Centre layout and technical solutions will have some changes during the further work. The design of the main housing types will also start.
THE OPEN BUILDING CONCEPT
Housing type orientation: Different suitable OB solutions were selected for each location in the Finnoo Metro Center.
OPEN BUILDING ALTERNATIVES
Lifespan aspect
Flexible solutions for both young and middle-aged families, with apartments that can be easily adapted to changing needs
Adaptation
Basic floor plan will be designed to suit several purposes and resident groups.
Side flats
Rooms with own entrance, a small bathroom and a kitchenette are next to family flats with inside door connection.
TECHNICAL METHODS
Structural flexibility
Use of simple tools like door options and partly non-load-bearing walls between flats.
Installation system
Easy renewal within the building lifespan by placing vertical ducts outside the apartments.
Insta Heart
Family flat system with a standard wet room arrangement but other rooms have variations.