Kiviniemenpuisto
Customer: Turkka Kronström and Palmberg Turku oy
Location: Kaistarniemi, Hirvensalo, Turku, Finland
Completed: 2007
Area: 2640 m2
The focal points of our submission to the invitation-only competition were the balanced proportion of individuality and privacy as well as comfort and good possibilities for modification in various life situations.
The block of one-storey, small private L-houses was to be a village of stonewall-style buildings bordered by fields, softened by surrounding rows of apple trees. The common courtyards with their fruit trees and berry bushes were to be shared productive gardens where the block’s compost could be utilised. A building in the inner yard could have housed for example a sauna, greenhouse, workshop, workroom, guest room, swimming pool or storage area. Dredging would have been done to build a dock next door to the boat cove, and a common sauna for the block built on the shore.
The L-houses would have defined a sheltered 400-500 m2 inner yard for each property, with the delineation complemented by a possible yard building and greenery. Residents could have selected a size for houses from 100-156 m2. In addition, it would have been possible to add a building of up to 25 m2 in the yard.
Layouts would have accommodated families’ varied situations. Living and dining spaces were to be located in the centre, with bedrooms spread out at the ends of the wings and the number of bedrooms adaptable to residents’ needs. When children were young, bedrooms could have been located next to each other. A bedroom that could be divided would have allowed school-aged children to have their own rooms. The distributed location would have enabled parents and young people to have their own peace and quiet. If needed, the second wing could have been converted into a separate apartment for a young person starting out in life, a grandmother or even an au-pair. The house could have been built in phases. Living spaces were to all be on the same floor, with unhindered access.
The buildings would have been made of wood. The wall frames on the north and east sides were to be laminated or solid wood, and the glass-wall frames on the south and west sides glued laminated timber, which would also have formed the window frames. The glass walls are triple-layer low emissivity and solar-control glass, electrically heated in living areas. Ventilated base floors are supported by plinths or pillars. Roof beams are partially-visible glued or laminated wood. Breathable wood fibre or flax insulation is used for heat insulation.
Surface materials are primarily wood: solid planks for interior and exterior stone façades, batten façades on the yard side, wide boards with boat deck seams for floors and gap seams for terraces. Roofs are battened and damped. Roofing is seam-welded. Wood surfaces are varnished, façades with Roslag mahogany.
The block is linked to district heating, and water-circulation floor heat is used in houses. Houses have space reserved for a fireplace. The ventilation system is equipped with a waste-heat capturing system. Special attention is paid to houses’ automation: remote-controlled locks, heat regulation, lighting and security systems add comfort.