ALA Architect's submission for Aalto University's Campus2015 international design competition proposed a "conglomerate of buildings to form an incubator of activity." Their aim was to "connect existing structures and projects to create a new areal hotspot, an urban concentration with vivid street life" in order to nurture an "open display of creativity."
ALA's entry to the competition, which attracted a total of 189 entries from around the world, focused on a "tight street web [allowing] most learning spaces, shops, bars and cafeterias to open to public space." Their approach to the design was sensitive to the Aalto master plan - "soft against hard - green environment to the east of the main building against a more structured and rough environment to the west" - by creating three major outdoor entities, "the Metro-Poli Square with a grand formal feel, the extended Alvarinaukio square with park-campus-like atmosphere, and the streets of the New Central Campus as a new urban ingredient."
The design, which attempted to move "away from an all-embracing homogenous campus architectural style towards a more pluralistic and diverse concoction" made use of something lacking in Otaniemi: "a dense urban environment that encourages spontaneous creativity." According to the jury, Hipsterkasbah was "unique among the entries in its urban village concept," the originality of which was "the design's strength." In spite of this, the second phase of the competition "revealed the difficulties and weaknesses inherent in the concept despite the tremendous improvements made to the overall design."
You can see the other five shortlisted proposals (including the winning submission) here, and read the jury's comments in full here (PDF).
Architects
Location
Espoo, FinlandDesign Team
Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta and Samuli Woolston with Willem Barendregt, Vladimir Ilic, Julius Kekoni, Auvo Lindroos, Aleksi Niemeläinen, Pekka Sivula, Pekka Tainio, Jussi Vuori, Haley Zhou, and Erika ÖsterlundLandscape Architects
MASU PlanningStructural Engineer
ArupTraffic Design
TrafixRenderings
VIZarchScale Model
StoltmodelsClient
Aalto University PropertiesProject Year
2015Photographs
Courtesy of ALA ArchitectsArchitects
References: ALA
