Marko Niittynen, Housing Design

I have worked for Arco, Aihio and their predecessors for more than 24 years. On this journey, I have worked on projects ranging from car parks to supermarkets, but for the last few years my main work has been in housing design. I lead the housing design team at the Tampere office. Housing design is my area of expertise and I have been lucky enough to be able to focus on it in my career. My design projects have mainly been located in Tampere and in the cities along the railway line, from Hämeenlinna southwards to Järvenpää and Kerava.

It all comes down to the planning area and the opportunities and constraints it brings. Without thorough pre-planning, the developer’s wishes for the apartment distribution may conflict with the plan’s potential. Challenges are often posed by the availability and adequacy of car parking and the uncertainty of future demand. 

The most interesting projects are the ones allowing us to design larger areas, e.g. in Tampere, Hyvinkää and Järvenpää, where we designed 14 blocks of flats in one area.

Fortunately, people have recently awakened to the fact that the number of small homes is too high in many places. There have been projects where, due to the location and the market, the average floor area has been well under 35 m². Small flats with a deep framework depth tend to be less bright. 

Telecommuting has generated demand for larger flats and higher adaptability. Design solutions that take into account different life situations and stages, as well as different forms of occupancy, provide variety and the possibility of living in the same home for many years. Whatever the form of occupancy, the most important thing in a flat is a functional and clear floor plan, with dimensions that are in proportion to the different functions. The division of space and the placement of the functions must allow the habitable rooms to be converted to a variety of different uses by furnishing, without the need to remove fixed structures.

Light and brightness as well as views inside and outside the home create a sense of comfort. A flat is always a home and therefore a place where you spend a lot of time. A wide variety of housing types also encourages and provides opportunities for natural interaction in the block’s common areas, which should be comfortable and interesting. Interior colours and materials are an area we have wanted to develop in a more elegant and timeless direction. For example, the entrance and staircases of a residential building are the first thing a visitor sees.

The higher the quality of the living environment with its yards and recreational areas, the better it is generally looked after. A comfortable environment also prevents negative phenomena such as vandalism. High-quality design and development are often compromised due to the availability of resources, but you do not necessarily need expensive materials to achieve a high-quality result. You only need quality materials. The key is the shared desire to design and build good homes for people. One’s home is a personal environment, and the resident should feel that theirs is well designed and worth all the effort. As designers, we want to take pride in our work at every stage of the project.

Marko Niittynen
Senior Construction Architect