As Oy Vantaan Huvikumpu

As Oy Vantaan Huvikumpu is Finland’s largest wooden apartment building complex built by the developer itself. Totalling 102 apartments, the complex has three six-storey apartment buildings that are connected by two single-storey garages. The garage rooftops have lush gardens for their adjoining apartments.

Read the article in Finnish here.

As Oy Vantaan Huvikumpu completes an existing block of six apartment buildings near the train station in central Tikkurila. The zoning plan called for a lively street façade that was to be emphasised architecturally. Opening towards the street, most of the common and auxiliary spaces are at street level. The ground floor is punctuated by abundant windows that cast light into the common spaces and garages. Narrow and tall, the windows add a feeling of rhythm and a more human scale at pedestrian eye-level. The ground floor frame is concrete, and the zoning plan narrowed down its surface materials to either natural stone or masonry brick. Since the neighbourhood is mostly brick, this was the natural choice. A sheltered playground is created in the centre of the block by the masonry and the neighbouring buildings.

The zoning plan specified a minimum requirement of wood cladding for all residential storeys. However, as the developer/contractor Arkta Reponen was already familiar with wooden large-element technology, they went a step further and made all the building frames out of wood. The architecture sought to keep the upper storeys as calm as possible by using regular window openings, panelled balcony screens, and earth-toned façades. Colours and building masses help divide the southernmost and northernmost building into two smaller sections: an effect further emphasised by the eaves standing out from the façade.

Apartments and stairwells bask in natural light from large windows, and adjoining outdoor spaces add further appeal to living areas. Most apartments have an enclosed balcony, some even two or three facing in different directions. The apartments at the street and green roof levels even have an additional wooden terrace surrounded by plants. While some apartments have saunas of their own, the complex also has a shared sauna and club room. These are on the green roofs and have terraces where residents can cool down while admiring the evening sun. In addition, the stairwells in the northern and southern buildings have ventilation balconies on each floor.

In the apartments, most living areas open in two directions. Apartments vary in size from studios to three bedrooms, with the exception of the top floor with its two 5-bedroom homes. The main façade material is painted, vertical wood panel that continues on the walls between and behind the balconies. The courtyard structures, including the pergolas and entrance canopies, also use wood, as does the cladding of the exterior stairs and smoke exhaust fans. In the interior, the only wooden structure that could be left in sight was the CLT stairwell. Other visible wooden surfaces were ruled out by the demanding fire regulations.

Technical solutions

Prefabricated elements were a typical solution: large elements in the façades, and glulam pole-framed elements in the load-bearing partitions. Non-load-bearing partitions are wall panels on a pole frame. Intermediate floors are built from Kerto-Ripa slabs in the apartments and LVL panels in the stairwells. The stairs are CLT with granite steps. Elevator shafts, balconies, balcony screens, and other structures with more demanding requirements are made from CLT and LVL products. The roof elements and structures are also wood, while the thermal insulation is glass wool.

Each apartment has underfloor heating and apartment-specific mechanical ventilation, and the building technology can be adjusted and serviced from each apartment’s individual service room, which opens onto the stairwell.

The complex has district heating. In addition, solar panels on the roof provide the building’s baseload electricity. To guard against fire, the residential buildings and garages have an automatic high-pressure water mist extinguishing system, and a fire protection treatment covers the ground floor façades and the balcony rear walls.

The construction project

• Reference planning for municipal zoning change began in 2018
• Municipal zoning officially changed on January 1st, 2019
• Construction design began in 2020
• Building permit received March 2nd, 2021
• On-site construction began August 26th, 2021
• Arkta Reponen served as the developer and main contractor, selecting people with extensive experience with wood construction as its key personnel. In addition, wide-ranging collaboration between the designers and other stakeholders ensured smooth progress. Wooden frame installation took place under a weather shelter to ensure quality and to protect the building’s dry chain. The frame was installed by the experienced carpenters and element installers of Arkta Reponen.

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