Lorentzinpuisto Apartments / Playa Architects

Architects: Playa Architects
Location: Koirasaarentie 32, 00870 Helsinki, Finland
Lead Architects: Johanna Ojanlatva, Veikko Ojanlatva, Tuukka Vuori
Design Team: Ilona Palmunen, Kristian Kontula, Heini Saari
Area: 6200.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Tuomas Uusheimo, Tuukka Vuori

Text description provided by the architects. Gunillankallio area is the first part of the new Kruunuvuorenranta residential area in eastern Helsinki. The project comprises three five storey apartment buildings next to the public Lorentzinkallio park (forest). The project is part of the subsidized HITAS –apartment program organized by the city of Helsinki. Furthermore, the project is the winning proposal of an architectural competition arranged by the city of Helsinki.

The site is a rocky slope facing northwest. The garage is below the courtyard on basement/street level. The basic C-shape of the buildings’ floor plan is formed by following the contours of the site. This both enables the buildings to adapt to the demands of the slope and also orientates views from the apartments to the surroundings instead of the neighbouring buildings. The triangular shape of the balconies also emphasizes this aspect.

The apartments also benefit from the C-shaped floor plan by providing more façade, minimizing spaces without natural light and creating a triangulated series of spaces in the bigger family apartments. The buildings are characterized by the triangular cantilevered balconies and the narrow windowless northern façade, which is further accentuated by a cloud-like relief made of slightly modified off the shelf bricks. The monochromatic facades are of rough off-white handmade brick, white concrete and white painted steel.