Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2017 | Page 43

Photo : Niklas Lähteenmäki , the City of Hämeenlinna .
Engelinranta
The architects` view from the street in Engelinranta .
“ What we want to encourage is a certain atmosphere of experimentation . Various new things can be piloted here , and successfully , too ,” Koskiaho believes . One example of this approach is inclusion of public art in the competition parametres : the City wants competition participants to come up with ways to spice up the neighbourhood via aesthetics , too .
“ The buildings themselves will require high-level architecture , but we want to add even more aesthetic appeal by providing art for the citizens .”
Living Lab Opportunities
The City is also willing to entertain “ outof-the-box ” construction solutions such as floating apartments , city boats , robot-driven buses , Mobility as a Service ( MaaS ) solutions … Koskiaho believes that Hämeenlinna is just the right size – not too big , not too small – to push these initiatives forward .
“ There ’ s a lot we can accomplish , if we pool our resources and are committed to a common goal ,” she believes . A crucial part in the City ’ s plans for the bus station quarters is increasing citizen participation in just about every conceivable way .
“ We ’ re requiring for citizen participation and engagement plans to be submitted by those players entering the competition ,” she says , adding that the participation plans should precede the zoning operations . “ This
Engelinranta , the present state .
way we get citizen engagement that is not overly regulated .”
In a sense , the bus station quarters venture is all about maximising citizenship : the people will get to voice their opinions and those viewpoints will be taken into consideration , too .
Come Together , Right Now
Koskiaho envisions a situation where citizens and companies get together to decide what kind of community they want to raise : what is it exactly that modern residential solutions should entail ?
“ Having everybody on the same side of the table , so to speak , means that it ’ s a win-win for all ,” she believes .
In addition to the residents , Hämeenlinna wants to serve also the interests of companies . The waterfront development could conceivably be a home for various business ventures that can , in turn , take the community to the next level :
“ Energising the local business climate is obviously one goal .” l
Photo : Lentokuva Vallas Oy .
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