Is it possible to live in a dense city near services and good connections without compromising on your own peace, yard and home of a suitable size? With the right kind of planning, these are not mutually exclusive issues, says Professor Markku Hedman from Tampere University of Technology. The research group he leads has put together numerous new types of solution models that can be used to reconcile the living preferences of Finns and the intensifying urbanization.
In the Talopaletti project, we have aimed for even more versatile living options alongside traditional single-family houses and apartment and terraced houses. In the project initiated by Pientaloindustri, a total of twenty new urban small house solution models have been produced, which have been grouped into six different categories. They are suitable for dense urban environments and bring small house living within the reach of even more people.
"It's not about ready-made house models that would go into production as such, but about a whole spectrum of options. The presented solution models can be combined and mixed as needed, resulting in almost unlimited new possibilities. The guide created as a result of the project is intended as a source of ideas for the use of both planners and building designers", professor Mark Hedman describes Talopaletti.
The solution models have been built with the help of the joint ideation of architecture students and industry players, and by analyzing domestic and international projects that have already been implemented. Practically tested and proven ideas have been selected from almost a thousand screened objects.
"Houses can be built densely in such a way that they take into account privacy and a sheltered yard, as well as window views that do not open directly from one apartment to another. Efficient land use is also not in conflict with human scale and communality. Urbanization does not have to mean the same as apartment building, and a single-family house does not have to be located in a field far from services. If the dominance of small houses is possible in today's London, why not here too", asks Markku Hedman.
Also compact and affordable options
According to several studies, a small house, and especially a single-family house, is still the most desired form of living for Finns, and they are the most comfortable. Small houses also create the most affordable living space: the average price per square meter of new single-family houses is less than two thousand euros without the plot and the share of own labor.
"With the solutions presented in the house palette, the plots for each apartment can be significantly smaller than at present, in which case you can save a quarter or even half of the plot costs. In addition, urban small houses lend themselves to many, both for families with children as well as for aging couples or singles, for additional construction or even for social housing production", sums up Markku Hedman.
For example, group building in the form of a company or foundation contracting is well suited for the implementation of urban small houses.
"Small house manufacturers have better capabilities than before to participate in this type of implementation. Nowadays, already half of the house packages are delivered ready to move into. Some of the companies do area construction or cooperation with construction companies", CEO of Kastelli houses, who was involved in the Talopaletti project Antti Pohjola toteaa.
Urban small houses coming to several areas
Interest in urban small house living has arisen from various sources. For example, at Asuntomessi in the coming years, and especially in Tuusula in 2020, the theme can be strongly visible.
Project manager of the Helsinki City Planning Agency Pia Sjöroos says that there are plenty of urban-style small houses planned for different parts of Helsinki. Helsinki has been promoting the construction of urban small houses with the help of planning and architectural competitions for several years. For example, it is planned to build urban small houses for tens of thousands of residents in Östersundom.
"According to our experience, the best results are achieved through partnership planning or land allocation competitions. Open site plans, which enable different implementation methods, have unfortunately mostly produced very traditional solutions", Tampere's site plan manager Elina Karppinen says.
The city of Tampere has planned the supplementary construction and revitalization of old suburbs, such as Tesoma, with urban small houses.
The laws and other regulations governing construction, zoning and real estate development often limit the direct application of familiar examples from Central Europe in Finland. According to Karppinen, clarifying the regulations and, if necessary, changing them would make it possible to free thinking from traditional small house construction to a new, more urban direction.
Project backgrounds and materials
The main implementer of the project coordinated by Pientaloteollisuus PTT ry has been the Housing Design Research Group of the Department of Architecture at the Tampere University of Technology. The project has been financed by the Ministry of the Environment, the City of Tampere, Cooperative Suomen Asuntomessut, Rakennusprodukten Kaatu Säätiö and several member and partner companies of PTT.
The TALOPALETTI guide is available free of charge online: http://tinyurl.com/talopaletti.
The electronic version of the guide is designed to be interactive so that through the links in the guide you can get to know the wider image material of the example sites or the real environment through Google Maps.
Photo material and more information about the project can be found on Pientaloteolluus PTT's website: http://pientaloteolluus.fi/fin/toiminta/talopaletti_-opas/
More information (available on Tuesday, April 5.4 after the announcement seminar, at 12 o'clock):
- Markku Hedman, professor, Tampere University of Technology, tel. 040 702 4884
- Antti Pohjola, CEO, Kastelli-talot, tel. 0400 280 555
- Kimmo Rautiainen, director, Pientaloteollisuus PTT ry, tel. 040 038 1444
- Elina Karppinen, town planning manager, City of Tampere, tel. 040 800 4908
- Pia Sjöroos, project manager, Helsinki City Planning Agency, tel. 0400 732 829