Kuokkalan Kalon

Winners of an architectural competition aimed at transforming urban housing, five new wooden apartment buildings made of CLT volumetric elements offer a new take on city life that focuses on community and accessibility.

Read the article in Finnish here.

A sense of community is integral to the design: entrances and shared spaces are intentionally placed in sunny spots around the courtyard, encouraging people to meet up and share moments in the sun. The whole team aimed for exceptional, beautiful architecture that blends naturally into its city environs. The design is based on the Housing Reform 2018 competition’s winning proposal, “Kuokkalan Kalon”, originally by the architectural firm Collaboratorio and developed further by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

The project is part of the Kolmiloikka (Triple Jump) initiative of the Federation of the Finnish Woodworking Industries, which aims to make industrial wood construction more efficient and improve its competitiveness. Located next to Kuokkala Church, the block’s architecture pays homage to its neighbourhood: gabled roofs, and wood and stone visually link the buildings to the church and the nearby Puukuokka wooden apartment complex. The placement of the buildings creates a cosy and intimate old-time atmosphere, and the entire complex has an uncomplicated, peaceful beauty that lets the church retain its dominant presence in the cityscape.

The apartments were fully prefabricated at the factory from CLT volumetric elements. Their load-bearing frame, made from CLT solid wood panels, also provides the load-bearing structure for the building itself. A variety of technical solutions simplify building maintenance, including ventilation shafts that can be serviced through the stairwells.

Excess construction materials were put to good use, turning leftover CLT bits into benches, exterior canopies, and bathroom element partitions.

There are a wide range of housing types in the complex, including rental, right-of-occupancy, senior and assisted-living housing, and owner-occupied apartments. The assisted-living housing is only suitable for those with general needs, not enhanced care. Meeting rooms for the church congregation are by the market square on the ground floor, and 3 community cars for the Kalon complex and Kuokkala are provided on nearby Syöttäjänkatu Street.

Lisäksi toriaukion vieressä sijaitsevan rakennuksen kivijalassa on seurakunnan kokoontumistiloja. Syöttäjänkadulle on sijoitettu 3 Kalon-korttelia ja Kuokkalaa palvelevaa yhteiskäyttöautoa.

Technical solutions

The external walls are made from insulated solid wood volumetric elements (CLT), with wooden cladding installed on site. Walls between apartments form part of the building’s load-bearing framework, as they are actually the load-bearing walls of CLT volumetric elements. The buildings mostly have earth-based foundations, and all have naturally ventilated subfloors with crawl spaces, intermediate and upper floors made from wood, and blown wool thermal insulation. The buildings have steep gabled roofs of machine-seamed sheet metal and unheated attics.

The building floors were raised to at least 800 mm above the ground without compromising accessibility.

The buildings are fire class P2 and equipped with an automatic extinguishing system.

As the CLT of the load-bearing structures is 80 mm thick, fire protection mostly consisted of covering the CLT walls with fire-resistant plasterboard. However, wood has been left in sight where possible to create a natural atmosphere: apartment roofs have visible CLT surfaces, and canopies and balconies also have visible wood. Wood also features prominently in the eye-catching wood-aluminium windows with their glaze-treated wood and in the wood-glass access doors.

The complex uses sustainable and environmentally friendly energy solutions such as geothermal energy and solar panels. When the solar panels produce more electricity than needed, the excess is sold to directly benefit the residents. Construction also leveraged circular economy principles: the demolished healthcare facility on the adjacent site was crushed into cobble and used in the plot’s fill layer, simultaneously reducing waste and the project’s environmental impact.

Construction

• Public Housing Reform 2018 architectural competition
• Selection process for a partner 2019, the City of Jyväskylä in collaboration with Collaboratorio
• Reference design and partnership planning with the partner consortium 2019-2021
• General and construction planning 2021-2024 as a turnkey contract
• Construction permit granted October 13, 2022
• Complex taken into use October 31, 2024