Aalto University ecological building experts showcase their skills at the Finnish Housing Fair
25.07.2012
In this year’s Finnish Housing Fair, the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture is represented by two departments.
The Mobile Mini House collaboration project between the Department of Design and the Housing Fair was realised during spring 2012 in the form of Master’s studies. The Department of Architecture project group designed a wooden and eco-efficient Lantti House, open to the public at the Housing Fair in Tampere until mid-August. Featuring as themes for this year’s Housing Fair, the values of sustainable urban living and eco-efficiency are evident in the school’s designs.
Innovative and ecological living on a small scale
The Mobile Mini House project was realised as collaboration between the Department of Design and the Finnish Housing Fair, with the goal of designing small, mobile housing, which leaves as small an ecological footprint as possible when built and lived in. The starting point for the project was the shared objective of studying current housing issues concerning young people and creating innovative models as an alternative for the established conventions of construction and housing design.
In practice, the project was carried out as a course for design students, during which 20 students designed altogether 11 houses and concepts. These can be viewed on the Housing Fair website. Professor Pentti Kareoja and Lecturer Vesa Damski instructed the students.
Themes of the student projects include the modularity and mobility of single-room housing and the versatility of interior space and furnishings. On top of these aspects, the designs focused on utilising the wall and roof surfaces for extending the building and cultivating plants, facilitating well-being within the limits of a small living space, the effects of social media on housing and the new communal forms of housing. The course offered the students an opportunity to study the efficient use of living space, solutions for ecological energy production and the utilisation of recycled materials.
The course was funded by the Casa Humana Grant the Department of Design received from the Finnish Housing Fair Co-operative Organisation in 2011. The grant aims to foster applied research and experimental activities concerning housing issues and to support education, communications and publishing on housing questions.
A traditional and modern zero-energy house
Designed by the Department of Architecture project group, the wooden Lantti House combines Finnish building traditions with state-of-the-art technology and know-how. The zero-energy house generates the electricity it needs using solar panels, with heat supplied via solar collectors and district heating. On a yearly level, it even produces slightly more energy than it consumes.
The Lantti House was designed as part of a one-year intensive programme, Wood Program, focusing on wood and wooden architecture organised by the Department of Architecture. The Lantti House architecture team comprised Pekka Heikkinen, Ioana Maftei, Einari Sutinen and Tomi Tulamo. Liisa Jokinen, Harri Nuora and Pekka Pessi from Aalto University designed the HVAC technology and Ioana Maftei was responsible for the garden design. The house was constructed as a collaboration project between Aalto University, TA Company, the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra) and the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). It is located in the Vuores residential area of Tampere, which will be an innovative wooden apartment building area, the largest in Finland.
Lantti House is open to the public during the Finnish Housing Fair in Tampere between 13 July and 12 August 2012. Further information available on www.asuntomessut.fi/en/english-home and www.lanttitalo.fi.
The designs of the Mobile Mini House project are available on the Finnish Housing Fair website during the event.
Further information:
Professor Pentti Kareoja
Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture
Tel. +358 40 768 0659pentti.kareoja [at] aalto [dot] fi (
pentti.kareoja@aalto.fi)
Professor Pekka Heikkinen
Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture
Tel. +385 50 517 4727pekka.heikkinen [at] aalto [dot] fi (
pekka.heikkinen@aalto.fi)