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<<< back to list of urbanism                                                                                    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LANDLINES JÄRVENPÄÄ
Europan 10, new residential district, Järvenpää, Finland



Project description: Project was designed as 7 steps towards sustainable district. Steps were derived from the traditional western Finnish building islands in the form of courtyards that allow common outdoor spaces. Neighborhood lies near the railway, therefore its density is increasing towards the train station area. Housing units are compact and therefore provide conditions for low energy consumption. Small plots with dense arrays make it possible to preserve open countryside to the maximum degree, for both recreational and agricultural purposes.

Location: Järvenpää, Finland
Size: 557 apartments, 99.658 sqm (total gross building area), 155.235 sqm private plot areas, 155.700 sqm public spaces
Project phase: competition
Year of the project: 2009
Authors: Eva Prelovšek Niemelä, Aarne Niemelä

AWARD
Project received 2nd prize (runner-up).


LandLines are strips of semi detached and family houses that are connecting the close railway area with the open field in direction towards the lake. Along the strips of housing there are strips of green areas and large green public spaces. In the middle of the district there is urban park (with playgrounds for children) along the existing water stream, which is transformed into broader water area.





SEVEN STEPS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DISTRICT

STEP 1   
REVIEW OF VERNACULAR BUILDING FORMS: COURTYARDS


Traditional Finnish farmhouses with closed courtyards (»umpipiha«) were mainly built in western Finland from the Middle ages until 19th century. A typical model of a farmhouse complex included two rectangular courtyards: one for animals, the other for humans, surrounded by residential and service buildings of the farm. Important storage buildings (granaries) and non-fireproof buildings (saunas, forges) were usually placed outside the dense main complex.

This form of traditional Finish farmhouses formed island groups in landscape that were used by different users. Shared interior of the courtyard protected people from weather and beasts and created positive density in open landscape.


STEP 2   
REINTERPRETATION OF THE COURTYARDS: SUSTAINABLE DISTRICT IS DENSE DISTRICT


Courtyards are positive density where people share a part of their outdoor private space with each other. Entrances into the courtyards are made with subtle borders, avoiding fences and doors. Safe district does not mean gated district, but being able to see and share what is happening outside someone’s house.


STEP 3 
FLEXIBILITY OF THE LIVING SPACES: APARTMENT AS A LOFT


Sustainability is also flexibility of use. Apartments should be designed in the way that they are able to accept the differences of needs of users during their life span. Loft apartments are undetermined spaces where only core with installations is fixed, the rest remains flexible.


STEP 4 
RECOGNITION OF THE PROFILES AND NEEDS FOR DIFFERENT USERS



STEP 5 
CREATING COMPACT VOLUMES THAT HAVE OWN ENTRANCES FROM THE GROUND FLOOR


Sustainable building is compact and allows energy saving for heating. Volumes are designed with extra spaces (mostly) above garages that can offer open terraces with orientation in two directions or greenhouse- (glazed) extension on the terrace. Greenhouses provide living units with heating through solar energy.
All units have it’s entrances from the ground floor which offers also in higher density block small private plots- gardens. Growing plants in gardens means also more connection with the nature and consciousness about it’s protection. In this district every living unit has its own garden.


STEP 6
COMPLETE REUSE POSSIBLE

Sustainable building allows complete reuse if the economical situation after some years of use shows that other use of building would be more needed for the district.


STEP 7
SUSTAINABLE DISTRICT PLANNING






Situation plan



Urban block: mixed semi-detached houses and houses on top of the garage. Garage serves as buffer to railway-noise.




Courtyard: Mixed semi-detached and family houses.
Family houses are connected by garages, semi detached houses have shared garages. Semi private area in the courtyard is open space shared by surrounding houses. There is place for playground for children, picnic space, trampoline, fruit trees... Living in the courtyard type enforces the communication among neighbors, it is dense and sustainable typology.



Family houses: Buildings are connected with garages, which can be also shared by two neighboring houses. There are terraces on top of the garages that can be also transformed into glazed greenhouses. Family houses are placed in a dense district that opens towards free agricultural landscape.


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