Student-Designed Fokka Pyramid is a Landmark Indoor Park for Helsinki

Finnish student <a href="http://artoollila.fi/">Arto Ollila</a> at Helsinki's Aalto University recently won an annual architecture competition with his striking pyramid-shaped glass and steel "Fokka" tower, which contains a massive indoor garden. Sustainably designed and located in a dense urban space connected to public transportation, this concept for a new mixed-use project looks like a stellar combination of nature and architecture. The competition was organized by the Helsinki city planning office and steel product company <a href="http://www.ruukki.com/">Rukki</a>.

Each year the Helsinki city planning office and Ruukki hold a design competition for a new an innovative building using steel.

This year's design was for a mixed-use development combining office, residential and a hotel in the Koivusaari area, the most western part of Helsinki.

<a href="http://artoollila.fi/" target="_blank">Arto Ollila</a> proposed the winning concept, which rises like a mountain and encases all the programs within a glass and steel outer shell.

The lower floors hold space for retail, commercial and offices, while the upper floors in the hold the hotel and residential units.

Located in a dense urban area, Fokka is sited conveniently next to a stop for Helsinki's public transport system.

Elevations of Fokka.

Ollila designed a large indoor urban park that connects all the programatic elements together under one roof.

Bottom two floorplans and indoor park.

The glass shell is optimized to allow for natural daylighting without overheating the interior and integrated solar panels generate power for the project.

With a focus on sustainable design, Fokka could become not only a recognizable landmark for the city, but also a model for future development.

From the Jury Comments: "The basic concept of the winning entry is professional, sovereign and innovative. "FOKKA" is based on a logical research of the surrounding city structure and proposes carefully examined functions. The outcome takes the surroundings beatifully into consideration. It is contemporary, poetic and sculptural hybrid building. The proposal creates a new kind of public spaces. "FOKKA" is architecturally high quality, elegant and insightful concept."

Model of Fokka

Model of Fokka