Louhentori plan proposal returns for review by the City Planning Committee
In Pohjois-Tapiola, two blocks of flats are planned for the Louhentori market square area and the former bus turnaround. In August 2025, the City Planning Committee returned the plan proposal for re-preparation. In the updated plan proposal, the deck courtyard has been reduced and its elevation has been lowered. The slope-like green area now separates the blocks of flats and the deck courtyard from the street, enhancing the development’s integration with the environment.
The amendment to the Louhentori detailed plan in Pohjois-Tapiola will return for additional review by the City Planning Committee, on 11 March 2026. The plan proposal was reviewed by the committee in August 2025, at which time the committee returned the plan for re-preparation and the proposal did not progress to public review.
The plot of land undergoing plan amendment is owned by the city. The site is currently part of the Louhentori market square area and also includes a former bus turnaround. The Business and Competitiveness Subcommittee of the City Board granted the construction company SRV a planning reservation for residential construction on the plot, for the first time in May 2021.
The plan proposal’s blocks of flats and deck courtyard fit better in their surroundings
In the new proposal, the blocks of flats and the deck courtyard have been placed further away from the street and plot border. There are two blocks of flats, which are light, 5- and 6-storey buildings with a minimalist architecture.
The plan also includes a deck courtyard, which is now smaller in the new proposal. The southern block of flats has been raised by one storey, and it now reaches the same height level as the northern apartment block. The elevation of the deck courtyard has been reduced just under a metre compared to the earlier plan version, and now there is a slope-like green area between the buildings and the street. The green area with trees separates the buildings from the street, allowing the buildings to integrate better with the surrounding environment.
In accordance with the decision of the committee, the parking space standard of the area has been lowered and, exceptionally, the planning applies a parking ratio corresponding to the amount normally used in the immediate vicinity of the city centre. In practice, this means that there will be slightly fewer parking spaces and, at the same time, the surface area of the deck courtyard will be reduced. Traditionally, there has been at-grade parking in the area. The aim of the amendments has been to better adapt the parking solution located under the deck courtyard to the cityscape.
The aim is to integrate the development into the Tapiola RKY area
The Tapiola area is a nationally significant built cultural environment (RKY) with building and cultural-historical value. The cityscape in the built cultural environment area must be protected, so special emphasis must be placed on conserving the character of the area in planning and construction. The aim is to adapt the new construction to the RKY area.
The City Planning Committee will discuss the detailed plan proposal for Louhentori, at its meeting on 11 March 2026, and decide when the proposal will be made available for public review. Once this happens, objections to it can be submitted. The City Planning Department will inform the residents of putting the plan up for public review by means of a plan announcement, on the plan’s own website and in a letter sent to close neighbours.
The traditional residents' event for Tapiola district will be held in the spring, on 16 April 2026. In addition to Louhentori, other topical plans for the area will be presented at the event.
Go to the plan page and read more about the Louhentori detailed plan.