Kruunuvuorenranta is fast becoming a diverse and highly urban residential area with excellent transport connections. A block with roughly 130 apartments is currently being planned at the junction of Koirasaarentie and Haakoninlahdenkatu, and its implementation will be examined based on the winning entry of the architectural competition.
The block 49338 is to be built on the corner plot, and it will include both Heka rental apartments and Helsingin Asumisoikeus Oy right of residence apartments. The block will be developed by Helsingin asuntotuotantopalvelu (Att).
The residential buildings under planning will be situated in a highly visible location at the junction of the two main streets in the area. The block will border on the street space and form a large courtyard with resident parking spaces located underneath. Some of the courtyard will remain ground surfaced. The sloped plot posed particular challenges in terms of planning.
“The apartment and yard planning in Huoma was at the forefront of the competition. The courtyard is naturally structured in terms of land use and supports communality. The area with trees and a stormwater pool forms a particularly beautiful and unique entrance to the yard. It also serves as a link creating local identity to the planted street milieu of Stansvikinkallionkuja,” says SAFA architect Selina Anttinen, a representative appointed to the jury by the competitors.
In the winning entry, the total floor area of the apartments is approximately 10,000 m2. In addition to this, approximately 300 m2 of business premises are planned on the street level.
“In terms of apartment planning, the entry is full of ideas and highly advanced. The apartments are thoroughly planned and the small apartments are insightful. The jury felt that the combination of the clear-cut modelling and positively understated overall approach with the skilful yard plan give the best starting points for further planning,” Anttinen says.
The block that was the subject of the architectural competition is located in the area of a former oil port consisting mostly of previously excavated terrain. The plot is located in the northern part of the Stansvikinkallio detailed plan area, where plots have been reserved for developers for the construction of some 700 apartments. The other parts of the Stansvikinkallio detailed plan are currently being re-evaluated in accordance with the City Strategy, and a decision on the new detailed plan is expected in early 2024.
Construction of the block planned in the architectural competition is set to begin in autumn 2024. The construction will take roughly two years.
The goal of the competition was to find the best overall solution for the block in terms of cityscape, architecture and functionality without overlooking the goals set for economic efficiency, sustainability, environmental aspects and life cycle characteristics. In total 24 planning groups entered the competition, four of which were selected to participate in the actual competition. Each of the planning groups that were invited to join the competition and submitted an approved entry were paid a fee of €25,000.
