Schauman & Nordgren Architects has been announced as the winners of an open competition to redesign the old industrial area of Kangas in Jyväskylä, Finland. The winning proposal, titled “Kangas - City of Gardens,” seeks to build off of the success of a recently completed creative campus located within former paper factory by transforming the surrounding neighborhood into a vibrant live/work district containing over 5,000 new homes, 2000 new workplaces and a new educational campus facility.
The vision takes it inspiration from the existing industrial heritage of the site, borrowing elements from the linear, early 20th century red brick factory buildings that line the streets. This character has been reinterpreted in the new residential buildings, as well as in the treatment of the public spaces and shared courtyards.
These interconnected courtyards will serve as the green “backbone” of the masterplan, linking each new block via a pedestrian circulation network. Each courtyard will take on its own identity and character: the two blocks closest to the former factory, Kangas Square, will feature multi-purpose winter gardens. The garden within the university block will offer an multi-functional indoor landscape for learning and socializing, while the adjacent “hybrid” block will contain space for informal activities held by the offices on the ground floors.
The outer perimeter of the masterplan will consist of courtyard-typology housing blocks, broken up into comfortably-sized pieces to help establish a sense of community in the area.
“The idea is that the landscape of each housing courtyard will get its own character, ranging from sports, arts, reflection and production. The landscapes will be developed together with local artists and the future inhabitants. This way, we aim to establish a strong sense of community and involvement from the very beginning”, explains Jonas Nordgren, co-founder and partner of Schauman & Nordgren Architects.
The team will now work with the city of Jyväskylä to continue to develop the project for future implementation.
News via Schauman & Nordgren Architects.
Architects
Location
Jyväskylä, FinlandTeam
Ted Schauman, Jonas Nordgren, Sara Zapotoczna, Ludvig HoltenäsClient
City of Jyväskylä, Skanska construction Ltd, YIT construction Ltd, Jyväs Parkki OyCollaborators
Jouni Lehtomaa (traffic planning), Schauman Arkkitehdit OyProgram
Mixed use, Urban Plan, Landscape, Housing, Office and EducationArea
110000.0 m2Photographs
Architects
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