Sweco succeeded in a planning and plot transfer competition with resource-wise log building proposal

Published: Feb 17, 2023

The City of Järvenpää chose the joint competition proposal “Pihakvartetti” by Sweco, Honkarakenne and VRP Southern Finland as the second implementation concept for a culturally and historically significant new residential area. Sweco prepared the architectural, building services and structural design of the competition entry, as well as preliminary energy efficiency and carbon footprint calculations.

Aunt Anni’s village is a new residential area for over 400 residents in Järvenpää, a town in Southern Finland. Through an open design and plot transfer competition, a resource-wise, high-quality and communal proposal for residential construction was sought for two blocks. The traditional cultural environment is largely undeveloped fields, so skillful massing and the preservation of the valuable natural landscape in recreational use were placed at the centre of the evaluation.

“Pihakvartetti” is a discreet and harmonious ensemble formed by four log apartment buildings, where a clear and communal courtyard borders the middle of the buildings. The competition entry includes 63 accessible apartments, with a diverse housing division ranging from studios to large family apartments. The buildings will be lowered from 4 storeys to 3 storeys in the direction of the Vanhankylänniemi Manor, taking into account the existing building stock in the area. The yard solution connected to the adjacent nature reserve has created an entity with a good microclimate, which protects itself from the northerly winds and offers warm directions towards lake and park views.

The aesthetic openwork competition entry, which fits its landscape, received special praise from the jury for the use of low-carbon concrete as a frame material and, even in apartment buildings, for the use of more atypical laminated logs in external walls.

The sense of community is emphasised by the residents’ shared “village house”, which includes a yard sauna, a multi-purpose guest room/workspace and a summer kitchen with terrace. In addition, residents have access to a workshop space for bicycle maintenance and green boxes in the yard for growing useful plants. An innovative solution is represented by a “parcel hub” located in the yard area, which serves residents as a drop-off point for various shipments and deliveries.

In addition to geothermal heat and air heat pumps, energy efficiency has been ensured even beyond the competition criteria by utilising passive energy and solar panels placed on rooftops. In the northwest corner of the plot there is also a silent small-scale wind turbine feeding electric cars, which forms a modern pair with the old windmill in Vanhankylänniemi.

The development of zoning through partnership models is part of the strategic goals of the City of Järvenpää, which means that the final zoning can be made on market terms based on the developers’ creative implementation ideas.

“It’s great that the city appreciated our proposal. We succeeded in creating high-quality, sustainable and adaptable architecture for a good life in terms of the cityscape, which also respects the surrounding milieu and the history of the area. The competition entry, which was created in just a few weeks, was a huge joint effort for us, which would not have been possible without a strong vision of the end result, a competent team and seamless cooperation with the client and log supplier,” says architect SAFA Valtteri Johansson from Sweco Architects.

Further information:
Valtteri Johansson, Architect SAFA, Sweco Architects, tel. +358 44 777 1112, valtteri.johansson@sweco.fi
Heini Jokinen, PR and Media Relations, Sweco, tel. +358 40 718 0063, heini.jokinen@sweco.fi

Downloadable illustrations of the competition entry. Photos: Sweco Architects

View from Stålhanentie road.

A cozy yard area is formed in the middle of residential buildings.

Aerial view of the competition area and the new Aunt Anni’s village from the direction of Lake Tuusula.

The yard arrangements of the yard quartet have been made functional and clear.