| Location | Luoteisrinne 13 and 15, Finnoo, Espoo |
| Category | Housing |
| Architects | Emma Kämäräinen, Niina Sonné |
| Size | In total 159 apartments, 9765 h-m2, 13 462 brm2 |
| Project year | 2024 ja 2025 | Client | JM Suomi Oy |
Two concrete-framed, brick-clad, ARA-funded apartment buildings are being constructed in Finnoo, Espoo. Luoteisrinne 15 is five storeys high, while Luoteisrinne 13 rises to eight storeys.
The block is located north of the future Finnoo metro centre, south of the Länsiväylä motorway, at the intersection of Finnoonsilta and Suomenlahdentie. The block is bounded by Matroonankatu to the north and Maria Godhen Path to the east, both serving as pedestrian and cycling routes. The surrounding environment will undergo significant transformation in the coming years as the existing industrial area is replaced by residential apartment buildings.
The apartment building volumes are positioned along the eastern and western edges of the block, creating a sheltered and verdant courtyard space between them.
Façades
The design seeks an urban and clear architectural expression that will stand the test of time, both in its materiality and colour palette. A distinct contrast between the street-facing and courtyard façades is created through the massing strategy: the stepping is subtle on the public elevations, while the courtyard side features a more pronounced architectural expression through balcony towers and their horizontal offsets.
The façade palette is light and calm. The façades are executed in brick masonry using different brick tones, giving each building its own characteristic colour theme. At street level, the masonry is enlivened with recessed brickwork and varied brick bonding patterns. Balcony back walls are formed from grooved painted concrete. The balcony railings are made of vertically ribbed clear glass.
Courtyard
The starting point for the landscape design has been the creation of a coherent overall solution that integrates the block’s shared play and recreation areas, emergency access routes, and level differences. The surrounding perimeter-block structure encloses and protects the courtyard from traffic noise and airborne particles generated by the major roads around the site. Trees and shrubs planted in the ground, together with deciduous trees and evergreen ornamental conifers, create year-round greenery within the block.
