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'urban thread groove' - urban development espoo (se)
'urban thread groove' - urban development espoo (se)
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'urban thread groove' - urban development espoo (se)
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The
structure of Espoo seems typical for a town that has undergone
several phases of urban development pursuing different architectural
concepts and creating a distinct pattern in the now existing urban
fabric. The result is a discontinuous urban sprawl. Most notably the
modernist conception of separating different functions leaves the
existing city centre, that mainly contains public functions and the
train station, disconnected from the southern parts of the town. At
the same time the separation of car traffic from pedestrian
circulation, the latter running on elevated high walks, adds to the
dysfunction of the city centre as a working urban environment. On the
other hand the excellent means of public transport in the region
suggest that pedestrian movement and use of public transport should
be given priority over private transportation.
The
immediate surroundings of the city centre consists of large scale
housing schemes that, due to mass production, lack identity and fail
to establish a sense of community. These operate at a rather large
scale and create a lack of clearly defined urban spaces.
The
project’s strategy is to tackle both of these two problems
simultaneously by proposing a structures of high connectivity that
gradually unfold between the existing tissues of the urban fabric and
connect them with the redeveloped centre of Espoo. These multi-linear
structures will create different degree’s of privacy and foster the
development of local identities while still rooting them in their
urban context.
The
suggested pattern consists of 5 urban threads, each connecting
Espoo’s city centre with other parts of the city. Each linear
thread is treated independently and designed to establish a
thread neighbourhood developing its own local identity and
comunity once completed. Common continuous pathways running from one
end to the other strongly root these threads in their
surrounding, not only linking their own residential buildings
together but also inviting the inhabitants of adjacent areas to use
them to conveniently reach the city centre and the train station by
walking or cycling. Motorized transportation is confined to the main
roads. As the threads are gradually realized more and more parts of
the town become attached to the centre.
The
5 Thread Neighbourhoods are organized as a series of smaller
unit neighbourhoods, linked together by a common circulation
system. A unit is the system’s smallest entity, designed to
create a more private community among its inhabitants. A unit
consists of two housing blocks arranged towards a common elevated
courtyard designed as a landscape element and concealing a car park
This courtyard in turn is part of the pathways running to the city’s
centre, open on two sides, allowing for visual connections with the
Nordic landscape.
The
housing block’s circulation system – both vertically and
diagonally organized – encourages communication within the
community. Following the circulation system there is a series of
small semi-private rooms, that, because of their indoor qualities,
can be used for social events around the year. The ground floor
contains public and semi-public facilities, such as clubs, saunas and
small commercial units. The levels above contain different types of
flats, that can – due to the complexity of their design system -
be suit tailored to almost every need, starting from small 35 m2
flats to luxury units, helping to engineer the unit’s social mix.
All
the five threads together will establish – once completed – a
distinctive new town quarter, that in time will develop its own
identity. As the threads will be used by all the city’s inhabitants
to get into the city centre they will enhance communication and thus
interlock existing communities throughout the city. At the same time
they provide a solution for Espoo’s existing circulation problems.
Finally the threads converge in the centre where they add new
structures and facilities to the centre as the demand for them rises
with Espoo’s increasing density. We suggest to continue the threads
across the railway creating a partly elevated new public plaza that
connects the two parts of the existing city centre.
structure of Espoo seems typical for a town that has undergone
several phases of urban development pursuing different architectural
concepts and creating a distinct pattern in the now existing urban
fabric. The result is a discontinuous urban sprawl. Most notably the
modernist conception of separating different functions leaves the
existing city centre, that mainly contains public functions and the
train station, disconnected from the southern parts of the town. At
the same time the separation of car traffic from pedestrian
circulation, the latter running on elevated high walks, adds to the
dysfunction of the city centre as a working urban environment. On the
other hand the excellent means of public transport in the region
suggest that pedestrian movement and use of public transport should
be given priority over private transportation.
The
immediate surroundings of the city centre consists of large scale
housing schemes that, due to mass production, lack identity and fail
to establish a sense of community. These operate at a rather large
scale and create a lack of clearly defined urban spaces.
The
project’s strategy is to tackle both of these two problems
simultaneously by proposing a structures of high connectivity that
gradually unfold between the existing tissues of the urban fabric and
connect them with the redeveloped centre of Espoo. These multi-linear
structures will create different degree’s of privacy and foster the
development of local identities while still rooting them in their
urban context.
The
suggested pattern consists of 5 urban threads, each connecting
Espoo’s city centre with other parts of the city. Each linear
thread is treated independently and designed to establish a
thread neighbourhood developing its own local identity and
comunity once completed. Common continuous pathways running from one
end to the other strongly root these threads in their
surrounding, not only linking their own residential buildings
together but also inviting the inhabitants of adjacent areas to use
them to conveniently reach the city centre and the train station by
walking or cycling. Motorized transportation is confined to the main
roads. As the threads are gradually realized more and more parts of
the town become attached to the centre.
The
5 Thread Neighbourhoods are organized as a series of smaller
unit neighbourhoods, linked together by a common circulation
system. A unit is the system’s smallest entity, designed to
create a more private community among its inhabitants. A unit
consists of two housing blocks arranged towards a common elevated
courtyard designed as a landscape element and concealing a car park
This courtyard in turn is part of the pathways running to the city’s
centre, open on two sides, allowing for visual connections with the
Nordic landscape.
The
housing block’s circulation system – both vertically and
diagonally organized – encourages communication within the
community. Following the circulation system there is a series of
small semi-private rooms, that, because of their indoor qualities,
can be used for social events around the year. The ground floor
contains public and semi-public facilities, such as clubs, saunas and
small commercial units. The levels above contain different types of
flats, that can – due to the complexity of their design system -
be suit tailored to almost every need, starting from small 35 m2
flats to luxury units, helping to engineer the unit’s social mix.
All
the five threads together will establish – once completed – a
distinctive new town quarter, that in time will develop its own
identity. As the threads will be used by all the city’s inhabitants
to get into the city centre they will enhance communication and thus
interlock existing communities throughout the city. At the same time
they provide a solution for Espoo’s existing circulation problems.
Finally the threads converge in the centre where they add new
structures and facilities to the centre as the demand for them rises
with Espoo’s increasing density. We suggest to continue the threads
across the railway creating a partly elevated new public plaza that
connects the two parts of the existing city centre.
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