Asuntoreformi – Housing Reform – Kalon

Kuokkala’s Kalon – People’s Town, Quarter and Home.

A church-looking church was built in the middle of the village. Next to the church, a house-looking house grows naturally into an existing city: pitched roofs, wood and stone as material bind it to the church and the woodcut. Although in the city plan (1978) the plot was marked at common space for the residents, Kalon aims to something else: we want the block to open to its inhabitants and to the residents of the region as well. The courtyard block welcomes the light and preserves the existing passing-through path. The walkway generates a common space for everyone. The Greek word “Kalon”
means ethically good, appropriate beauty. This principle is fully contextualized, especially in Jyväskylä, known as the “Athens of Finland”.

“The Housing Reform 2018 competition is an open architectural competition that identifies current housing challenges and seeks innovative and feasible solutions to three different housing projects in the city, Jyväskylä, Tampere and Vantaa. 
The competition has four general objectives for the development of housing and housing construction – housing reform – in ecological, social, economic and architectural terms.
The competition seeks answers to how the solutions in the target regions support the wider environment’s functionality, comfort and beauty. Sustainable housing, among other things, enables the versatility of buildings and dwellings, the long service life of materials and building elements, and understandable serviceability.
Sharing economy, group building, older communities, and multi-generational housing will bring important social housing issues to life in today’s debate. This means trying to design environments, products, and services so that they are easy to use and appeal to the widest possible range of users.” Translated from the competition website.

Information and inquires: www.kalon.fi

In collaboration with Arkkitehtitoimisto Paula Leiwo Ltd (since building permission phase).

Phase

Completed 10/2024

Client

Yrjö ja Hanna Säätiö, JVR-Rakenne

Area

9 250 kem2

Photographs

Niclas Mäkelä, Simone Bossi Photographer, Collaboratorio