Kohtaamisia wins the Espoo House architectural competition

“The winning proposal is ambitious, individual and high-quality in terms of architectural and urban design. It meets the set objectives of the competition for a distinctive new building that strengthens the future identity of Espoon keskus,” says Olli Isotalo, Director of Urban Environment and Chair of the panel of judges for the architectural competition. 

The panel assessed, among other things, the suitability of the proposal to the urban structure and environment, the suitability and interconnectivity of the facilities, as well as their functionality, pleasantness and views. The life-cycle solutions and the costs of the building were also taken into account. 

“The strong and visionary overall architecture of the winning proposal also stands up well to the development needs of further design without significantly compromising the architectural richness or quality of the proposal,” says Mikko Kivinen, Project Director and member of the panel of judges. 

“The Espoo House is a building for city residents of a new era, and it is based on the principles of community-based urban living and sustainable construction,” says architect Eero Lundén. 

“The buidling will be constructed primarily of wood, with columns, beams and walls of mass timber, continuing Finland’s strong tradition of building in wood, Dan Stubbergaard, Founder of Cobe, continues. 

The main entrance to the future Espoo House will be on the side of Vaakunatori. The building will feature a high open space around which all functions and facilities will revolve. 

The Espoo House, to be built in Espoon keskus, will be a multi-purpose building serving the city residents. The building will combine resident’s services, decision-making and city administration. The aim is to achieve smoother interaction between elected officials, residents and city employees. In addition, the new premises will bring savings to the costs of the city’s administrative premises. 

The four proposals selected to continue in the competition – Kohtaamisia, Kontrapunkti, Lehteri and Virta – were all on public display online. The public was able to comment and like the proposals in March 2023. In total, the proposals received around 250 comments and around 150 likes. The most comments were received by Kohtaamisia, which was the public’s favourite. The public’s comments were forwarded to the panel of judges, who chose the winner. 

Now that the architectural competition is over, the detailed planning and preparation of the project plan will begin. The project plan will be submitted to the City Council for approval. The actual decision to build will be made once the project plan has been approved. 

According to the current estimate, construction of the Espoo House will begin in 2026, which would make it ready for use in 2029. The Espoo House will be located on the site of the already demolished Virastotalo 2, to the north of the station area. 

The Espoo House architectural competition is an essential part of the more extensive development of the area. In addition to the Espoo House, the area covered by the competition will hold new residential construction for nearly 600 residents, a grocery shop and a variety of business premises. The future City Rail Link will further improve public transport connections in the area. 

The competition was organised in cooperation between the city and the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA). 

A competition exhibition will be held at Entresse Library (Siltakatu 11) between 13 and 21 June. The exhibition will be open during the library’s opening hours, and all four proposals will be on display. The winning design has also been made into a 3D model that can be viewed using virtual glasses.