Lauri Silvennoinen played a key role as an advocate of industrialised construction in Finland. In the exhibition catalogue for the PRE-FAB exhibition, Silvennoinen emphasised the importance of process construction and urbanisation. Instead of thinking of a building as a product, Silvennoinen focused his attention on processes. Through this Silvennoinen believed that the construction industry’s possibilities were virtually unlimited. At its most basic, the concept was “that people could use their time better”.

Pihlajamäki’s Sato area became the most important application of Lauri Silvennoinen’s ideas as well as an important milestone with respect to the future development of the Finnish construction industry. The front of white buildings designed by Silvennoinen can be seen from afar in the overall landscape and has become the symbol of Pihlajamäki.

Already known as a skilful housing designer, architect Esko Korhonen focused particularly on floor plans when designing Pihlajamäki’s Haka area. At Maasälväntie he developed a block-type building where two large family apartments grouped around a stairwell landing facilitated the creation of more flexible plans than was typically the case. One-room flats and small apartments were concentrated in towers and two high slab buildings. Flexibility was an important objective; the bedroom in the block buildings along Maasälväntie could be subdivided into two smaller rooms with a light movable wall.

During the construction period, the experimental “apartment/terrace building” at Maasälväntie 10 also attracted considerable attention. The main thought behind Esko Korhonen’s architectural approach was that the facade should express the functions behind it, and that a ribbon window is not necessarily the only alternative. At the Maasälväntie towers, views to the landscape open through the living rooms’ vertical windows.