Wooden Paavola

A project for wooden blocks of fl ats in the Päijät-Häme region was launched in 1995 and was used for charting the woodworking experts in Päijät-Häme. The project’s goal was to find as many groups as possible that could offer a wooden block of flats as a product, or at least its wooden parts. Platform construction, etc., was developed in conjunction with the project and the frames of the last blocks of flats built in Wooden Paavola were made out of elements using a platform design.

The first building, As. Oy Lahden Pinja, was completed in January 1998. Its framework was made of elements and its intermediate floors were still heavy lattice structures full of refractory insulation; the building was, after all, built by deviating from the fire regulations valid at the time. Specific attention was paid to the design of the balconies and the staircases. The second building, As. Oy Lahden Poppeli, however, was completely realised using platform construction.

As. Oy Lahden Seetri consists of the third and fourth buildings. A last-minute decision to build townhouses instead of blocks of flats did not prove to be a good solution. The three-storey townhouse apartments grew to be too large, which, in turn, led to them being too expensive. The name of the fifth building is As. Oy Lahden Pyökki. This building had, for the first time, staircases during construction, i.e., the frame of the future staircases was utilised to its full capacity, as well as balconies constructed out of elements standing on their own pillars. Gypsum board, which is easy and quick to install, was used for the surface structure of the floor.

The sixth building, As. Oy Lahden Salava, was completed in June 2003. The staircases, balconies and intermediate fl oors used in As. Oy Lahden Pyökki were also realised in Salava. In addition, the colour scheme, details and the design language were preserved, even though the area contained five different types of balconies, four different types of staircases and intermediate floors, each stairwell had individual, designed wall protective sheeting, etc. All told, the area contains six buildings, with a total of 89 apartments. The people living in these apartments are middle-aged or older, although there are also some families with children. The residents of these buildings are active and the representatives of the housing community have already met to discuss how the whole block could be further developed by building, for instance, a community building amongst the blocks of flats.