The proposal chosen as the winner of the idea competition for the Lapinlahti Hospital buildings is Lapinlahden kevät (‘Spring in Lapinlahti’), and the competition entry has now been published. According to the winning proposal, the main building will house the Tove Jansson home museum, a hostel, work spaces and various services. The park will remain open to the public and nearly intact. New buildings will be erected at the southern edge of the area, consisting of a hotel, which will also serve as a noise barrier against Länsiväylä, and two sheltered housing buildings.
The winning proposal was created by NREP, Oaklins Merasco Oy and architect firms Ark-Byroo Oy, Arkkitehtitoimisto OPUS Oy and Arkkitehdit Soini & Horto Oy. The winning proposal fulfilled the criteria set for the preparation of competition entries well.
Hospital building to house a museum, a hostel and work spaces
According to the proposal, the park will remain open to the public and the existing hospital buildings will remain the focal point of the area. The main building’s courtyard will house a café, a restaurant, event venues and a book shop. The second floor of the building will house the Tove Jansson home museum and a gallery. The north wing of the main building will be converted into a hostel, while the south wing will house work spaces available for rent.
The building’s courtyard and formal garden will be open to the public.
The main building is set to undergo subtle renovations. For example, the hostel can be built with gravity ventilation and without en-suite toilet facilities. The facilities will, however, be made accessible as part of the renovation.
Park to remain open
The protected historical park will remain open to the public under the ownership of the City. The park will undergo only moderate remodelling, its routes will be clarified and the outdoor lighting will be renewed. According to the proposal, the aim is to also bring the sea closer to all residents by building a separate boat landing and swimming pier.
New construction at the area’s
southern edge to serve as a noise barrier
According to the proposal, a new hotel building will be built next to the existing office building at the southern edge of the park, which will also serve as a noise barrier against Länsiväylä. In addition to this, the proposal includes two new sheltered housing buildings to be constructed next to the existing Koivula building. The construction of the new buildings will make it possible to renovate the existing protected buildings and develop the area in an economical manner. Activities in the area that support well-being will be developed in cooperation with non-profit actors.
The plan is to also build a cycling path between the new buildings to be constructed and the office building at the edge of the area. The hotel’s service traffic and parking would also be handled via the same route.
Thanks to a geothermal heat solutions and wood construction, the new buildings will be carbon neutral. The new heating method will also make the existing buildings more ecological. The plan is to build deep geothermal wells on the plot, which will have sufficient capacity to generate the energy that the buildings need.
Political decision-making in 2020
The next steps for the winning proposal of the Lapinlahti Hospital buildings competition will now be decided upon by the Urban Environment Committee, which will process the matter during this spring.
After this, the process of updating the city plan will be started based on the winning proposal. The decision on the updating of the city plan will be made by the City Board. The repair and construction work on the real estate is estimated to start in 2021.
Image: Illustration of the yard of the main building. Ark-Byroo Oy, Arkkitehtitoimisto OPUS Oy and Arkkitehdit Soini & Horto Oy.
A presentation on the winning proposal, the assessment panel’s record and illustration