• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

 

^{[4]  [5]}

Finnish student Arto Ollila ^[6] 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 Rukki ^[7].

  ^[5]

Each year the Helsinki city planning office and Ruukki hold a design competition for a new and innovative building made from steel. This year’s design called for a mixed-use development that combines office, residential and hotel facilities in the Koivusaari area, the most western part of Helsinki. Arto Ollila ^[6] 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 office facilities, while the upper floors hold the hotel and residential units.

Situated in a dense urban area, Fokka is sited conveniently next to a stop for Helsinki’s public transport system. Ollila designed a large indoor urban park that connects all of the programatic elements together under one roof. The glass shell is optimized to allow for natural daylighting ^[8] 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.

+ Arto Ollila ^[6]

Images ©Arto Ollila