With a progressive new urban plan an entire society can take a step from fossil fuel dependency to a more sustainable future. Here, an existing district is given a contemporary makeover into a united and refined town centre, characterised by sustainability in all its dimensions.
Mustasaari is a small municipality, northeast of Vaasa, Finland. The central town of Smedsby is sparsely populated and has been bisected by a main road for decades. As traffic is now to be led around the town, a unique opportunity has arisen to unite two halves and improve the character of Smedsby.
Our idea is to create a clear central point, a concentrated town centre with the potential to stimulate street life and social interaction through a well-adapted and coherent structure of buildings and landscape. A new square, a 12-storey residential tower and a new Culture House Park are all envisaged, better public transport, including a tramline to Vaasa. The Smedsby of the future will be socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
The area will be carbon-neutral. New buildings will be constructed in locally-sourced Finnish timber according to passive-house standards. A geothermal heat pump is proposed, wind power will be a complement at some places and all construction will be according to the Green Building standard.
Successful town planning is not a project, but a process with unique driving forces and impediments. The new Smedsby therefore points towards a comprehensive structure, using tools that can lead the way through the lifetime of the project, and beyond.
