{"id":14172,"date":"2019-05-12T14:30:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T11:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/?p=14172"},"modified":"2022-12-05T18:35:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:35:40","slug":"sweco-architects-design-an-ecological-residential-block-for-kuninkaantammi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/insight\/news\/sweco-architects-design-an-ecological-residential-block-for-kuninkaantammi\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweco architects design an ecological residential block for Kuninkaantammi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Kuninkaantammi<\/h1>\n

Sweco architects design an ecological residential block for Kuninkaantammi<\/h1>\n

A right-of-occupancy apartment block designed by architects at Sweco will be finished in the Kuninkaantammi residential area in north-western Helsinki by the end of this year. The design process placed special emphasis on the use of renewable energy and piloting innovative stormwater solutions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kuninkaantammi is a new energy- and eco-efficient residential area by the Vantaa River and Helsinki\u2019s Central Park. Environmental factors have already been noted in the zoning of the area, and energy efficiency guides the design and building processes. The goal is to make Kuninkaantammi a comfortable and diverse residential area for about 5,500 residents by 2025.<\/p>\n

Planning ordinances create the basis for carbon-neutral construction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kuninkaantammi is a forerunner in many climate issues. The local detailed plan requires low-energy building and the use of renewable energy. Additionally, the area combines an urban environment with a village atmosphere. The outer circle of the spiral-shaped street network is designed for vehicles, whereas the inner circle is dedicated to pedestrians. The goal is to encourage people to mainly use public transport, to cycle and walk.<\/p>\n

Kuninkaantammi has piloted several solutions pertaining to the Carbon-neutral\u00a0Helsinki 2035 Action Plan<\/a>, which will guide future zoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe carbon-neutral goal will only be achieved if renewable energy can be produced locally in a significantly larger volume than today,\u201d says\u00a0Suvi Tyynil\u00e4<\/strong>, Detailed Planning Team Manager for Kuninkaantammi. The roof surfaces at Kuninkaantammi are being utilised for the collection of solar energy. \u201cFuture zoning can also require participation in centralised regional energy plants, which produce renewable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal of Kuninkaantammi\u2019s zoning is to encourage ambitious projects, such as going below limit values. In addition to energy efficiency, issues such as eco- and material-efficiency are being addressed as well, and the zoning requires that the mineral aggregate produced by the excavation of parking garages is used in the plots.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly half of the yards are positioned on top of the decks of parking garages, allowing for the building of rain gardens and the planting of large trees in the ground-supported areas which in turn increases the eco-efficiency of the area,\u201d Tyynil\u00e4 says.<\/p>\n

Stormwater solutions benefit both environment and people<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoning can widely impact the carbon footprint of urban development and ease the adjustment to climate change. Green roofs are a growing trend.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Kuninkaantammi all low buildings are required to have a green roof, and in newly zoned areas the requirement also applies to taller residential buildings,\u201d Tyynil\u00e4 states. Additionally, Kuninkaantammi is the pilot area for urban flood prevention and storm water solutions. \u201cRain and meltwater are stalled in the plots using e.g. rain gardens and are only afterwards directed to the regional storm water system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first residents of Kuninkaantammi have given positive feedback about the comfortable gardens, and the good practices have begun to spread to other parts of Helsinki. It is part of Tyynil\u00e4\u2019s ideology to turn obligatory systems in to ways to enrich the cityscape. \u201cThe stormwater pilot has shown us that the synergy works. The same solutions which help combat climate change also enhance the comfort of the residents,\u201d Tyynil\u00e4 states.<\/p>\n

Colourful eco-homes are being built on Taidemaalarinkatu street<\/strong><\/p>\n

The architects at Sweco participated in the planning of the project at Kuninkaantammi and the checking of the implementability of the zoning and also won the TA-Yhti\u00f6t invitational architectural competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe designed a right-of-occupancy apartment block with 67 flats combining both high-rise buildings and terraced houses with slanted roof profiles. The profiles enabled ceiling heights of up to 6 metres and lofts,\u201d says Sweco architect\u00a0Anne Lehtinen<\/strong>. \u201cIt is very important to us to design homes which are functional, bright and spacious without any wasted space.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ecological choices stipulated by the zoning were emphasised in the architectural design of Taidemaalarinkatu street. \u201cElectrical devices and lighting systems are energy-efficient, and some of the buildings\u2019 electricity is produced by the solar panels on the roofs,\u201d Lehtinen says. Attention has also been paid to heat recovery solutions and apartment ventilation.<\/p>\n

The masonry facade of the residential block follows the curved design of Taidemaalarinkatu street. The result is colourful and multifaceted just as the zoning dictates. \u201cWe used almost 20 different plaster colours on the street\u2019s side!\u201d Lehtinen says. On the yard\u2019s side, there is a different world, where the walls plastered in shades of blue accentuate the fresh and calming atmosphere of the rain garden. \u201cWe have also used wood cladding in the courtyard and for the balconies. Using wood for construction is always a preferable choice from a climate standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Architecture changes along with energy solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Combatting climate change and the energy transition have an increasing effect on architectural design. Legislation guides the design process the most, but Anne Lehtinen believes that in the future architects will have many other opportunities to advance in energy matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing in city and complementary construction is placing the building on the plot in such a way that it can either be protected from the heat or opened to it. After this, the same idea is continued using smaller means, such as the correct choice of windows and the placement of balconies. Suitable temperatures are ensured using simulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lehtinen, in the future even more emphasis will be placed on construction techniques and materials as well as energy efficiency. \u201cFor example, better ways for utilising demolition waste are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The slow move from passive to active houses in city construction can also be seen in architectural design. \u201cProperties can already produce some of their required energy themselves and in the future sharing locally produced renewable energy with other properties and the national network will become even more common,\u201d Lehtinen says.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A right-of-occupancy apartment block designed by architects at Sweco will be finished in the Kuninkaantammi residential area in north-western Helsinki by the end of this year. The design process placed special emphasis on the use of renewable energy and piloting innovative stormwater solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":22441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Sweco designs ecological residential block for Kuninkaantammi","_seopress_titles_desc":"A right-of-occupancy apartment block design process placed special emphasis on the use of renewable energy and piloting innovative stormwater solutions. Read more","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14172"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38682,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14172\/revisions\/38682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}