Espoo House architectural competition

Four working groups were chosen to participate in the competition. Their designs were called Kohtaamisia, Kontrapunkti (English: Counterpoint), Lehteri (English: Gallery) and Virta (English: Stream). The public could comment on the competing designs online until 28 March 2023. The feedback was used when selecting the winner.

The award committee chose the winner of the competition and announced it on 12 June 2023. Planning continues with the creators of the winning design. The winner was the design Kohtaamisia, created by the Finnish-Danish consortium Cobe + Lundén Architecture Company. The winner is a wooden building.

When selecting the winner, emphasis was placed on the functionality, attractiveness, pleasantness and feasibility of the overarching solution.

Kohtaamisia was also the crowd favourite.

The competition was organised in co-operation with the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).

The Espoo City Council has decided that a new Espoo House will be built on the site of the demolished building of the Virastotalo 2 office building. The starting point was a hybrid model with versatile residents’ services and multi-purpose spaces that serve decision-making and residents’ cooperation in connection with the premises needed by the city.

The building and its immediate surroundings must form safe and comfortable urban spaces that can be implemented sustainably and with high quality. The solution will be used to develop Espoon keskus so that the area of the old office building becomes part of a diverse city centre. The planning process will also take into account the area of the Cathedral and the Espoonjoki river valley as historical and cultural landscapes.

The competition area is located north of the Espoo railway station on the site of the old city office building. The competition area is a traffic hub in the immediate vicinity of the railway station, a busy street and pedestrian and bicycle routes.

The competition area is bounded by Espoonkatu, Kannusillankatu and Päätykuja streets and the railway station and platforms.

The southern part of the competition area is connected to the station area, with bicycle parking, bus stops, a taxi pole and places reserved for pick-up and drop-off traffic. In connection with the planning and implementation of the Espoo House, the area’s traffic arrangements will be clarified, taking into account the needs of different modes of transport.

In addition to the actual competition area, the competition programme indicates a review area for which the competitors can, if they so wish, propose solutions that support the overall idea of the competition entry. The review area is not part of the competition area.

• Competition entries published 1 March 2023
• Competition entries available for viewing and comments online 1–28 March
• Winner of the competition announced 12 June 2023
• Competition exhibition at Entresse Library in Espoon keskus 12–21 June