60ºNorth

RUNNER-UP – 60°North

Natalia Vera Vigaray (ES), architect
Agnes Jacquin (FR), landscape architect
Alexandra Jansen (PL), economist
Emmanuel Laux (DE), architect
Patxi Martín Domínguez (ES), architect
Josep Garriga Tarrés (ES), architect

Jury evaluation:

The land use concept is based on rectangular courtyard style blocks that surround a local park. This solution was also put forward by a number of other entries to the competition. In terms of scope, 60°North takes a cautious and conventional approach to land use and construction but puts forward a viable and workable solution. It offers a clear way to set development apart from the wider agricultural landscape and the cowshed, greenhouses and their surroundings form a seamless part of the wider land use concept. The block-based structure envisaged under this proposal will also allow for phased development. The large central expanse of green land means that there is plenty of scope for retaining existing buildings and it also brings together community functions and leisure services.

The design is characterised by its high density and the Jury felt that a more loosely-drawn solution would also have been a possibility. As things stand, the inner courtyard garden and open spaces are modestly sized, which makes them less versatile and less open to being brought into active use. The planned construction envisaged under plans is relatively inefficiently executed and there is little in the variation with regard to the design of the blocks. By contrast, careful attention has been given to different residential property types and their execution. An interesting proposal has been put forward with regard to phasing but ensuring that residential provision is put in place at an early stage would support other function and services and allow Anttila’s identity as a place to begin to develop.

The area’s functions are carefully thought out with a balanced approach and due regard has been give to the particular characteristics of the site and the wider landscape in which it is situated. It is these considerations that underpin the plans for construction and the efficiencies sought through it. 60° North’s treatment of productivity in all its forms, as well as local conditions, seasons and the scale of activity, is of an extremely high quality. With regard to cultivating the land, the proposal goes as far as to propose a specific scientific approach that would combine production and research.

60° North envisions Anttila as part of both the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Lake Tuusulanjärvi region in terms of food production, research and services. This would have the effect of enhancing the functions integral to the area and the area’s status in a broader sense. In addition to residents and economic operators, the proposal also takes account of other relevant stakeholders, including the role of Kettunen Centre residents as part of the wider community, which will support social cohesion within the area. Also included are ideas for local energy production. Although limited attention has been paid to the waterfront and few functions have been allocated to it, the Jury recognises that this is in keeping with an environmentally sustainable approach to the development.

Description:

The Timo potato, developed in Anttila, has a short growing season which makes it particularly suited for the Finnish climate. Similarly to the Timo potato, the interventions on the site are tailor-made. 60ºNorth works with the existing: it strives to understand and acknowledge the specific features of the place: ecology, people, heritage, knowledge, materials and physical structures. On site, the various productive activities and milieus are as many opportunities for the interaction of players involved in the food value chain: from the farmer to the researcher, the distributor and the end-consumer. Open spaces create fertile, productive continuities which link urban and rural areas at site and metropolitan scales.