Affordable, safe, and communal student apartments provide all students with the opportunity for quality living, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Students hoped for, among other things, a shared quiet space in the Student House where they could study or work if needed, especially when it’s difficult to get things done at home.
Our Kontula Student House has been granted social financing from Kuntarahoitus, which is awarded to investments that generate broad social benefits. Kuntarahoitus’s social financing can be granted to investment projects that have positive impacts on their environment and community: they promote equality, communality, well-being, or the vitality of the area. The suitability of projects for the social financing framework conditions is assessed by an impartial evaluation group of experts. The composition of the evaluation group can be found on Kuntarahoitus’s social financing website.
Student rental apartments designed in collaboration with students
The Kontula Student House is located right next to the Kontula center and metro station, just a five-minute journey (one metro stop) from Metropolia’s Myllypuro campus. The Myllypuro campus is a new hub for approximately 6,000 students and 500 employees. Both Kontula and Myllypuro are key development areas for the city, where the aim is to diversify services and resident structures, and to improve the urban landscape. Our Kontula student apartments support these objectives.
Student needs were listened to during the planning of the Student House. From the very beginning, students from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences were involved in the design process. This ensured that the apartments and common areas, along with their furnishings, incorporated functional solutions from the perspective of various students. For example, students hoped that:
− The apartment would have enough windows for sunlight to illuminate the space immediately upon waking and at the coffee table.
− They would know their neighbors well and that the atmosphere would be good, with greetings exchanged whenever they met. There could be sauna facilities/a common space where they could freely socialize with neighbors.
An initial survey utilizing an empathy-based method was organized for students, based on which two workshops were held. The first workshop mapped out students’ wishes and needs. In the second workshop, students were able to comment on preliminary drafts of the apartments and common areas. Students were also asked about ecological aspects of living. Additionally, an economic perspective was combined with their wishes. Students were asked: how much would you be willing to pay for your desired apartment? This resulted in housing solutions that also met financial constraints.
In addition to the student group, representatives from Setlementtiasunnot, the contractor, and the architectural firm participated in the workshops. Close dialogue was also maintained with Metropolia UAS’s student advocacy organization. The events were fruitful for both the students and the implementers.
Community and diverse greenery
− Enabling communal cooking, board game playing, organizing viewing parties, and gathering for other hobbies (book club, crochet club, etc.) was one of the students’ wishes.
And the wish came true. The Kontula Student House features various common areas: a flexible club room with a kitchen and terraces, a bright laundry room, study and workstations, a group work room/board game room, top-floor sauna facilities, and communal balconies on each floor. The courtyard area was designed with various communal activities and solutions that enable encounters and enhance comfort. Plant choices considered students’ wishes, including edible plants, and communal cultivation boxes are also available. Special attention has been paid to biodiversity.
The project is an example of a site where future residents participate in the design. We hope that similar solutions will spread more widely in the development of student housing.
