A Vision for Inclusive and Thoughtful Urban Living

Helsinki, 2024

In 2024, we took part in Re-thinking Urban Housing programme by the City of Helsinki, themed “A Functional and Sustainable Home in the City.” A-Kruunu's proposal we worked with, Laskos, was selected as one of the winning entries, praised for its high-quality design and innovative approach to urban housing. The design scored very high in the quality assessment, reflecting its success in combining functionality, sustainability, and a human scale. A-Kruunu is a state-owned housing company that develops affordable rental housing in the Helsinki region and beyond. Their mission is to create sustainable, high-quality, and community-oriented homes that support long-term urban development.

Laskos – A Winning Proposal for the Re-thinking Urban Housing programme by the City of Helsinki

Insight-Driven Collaboration
The concept was developed as part of a multidisciplinary team brought together by the client A-Kruunu and led by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects. The rest of the team included researcher Dr. Jyrki Tarpio, Silvana as the interior design partner, A-Insinöörit Oy for cost and technical feasibility, and Voima Graphics for 3D-visualizations. Together, we combined architectural innovation, historical context, interior usability, and visual clarity into a unified, future-oriented proposal.

Spaces Designed for Real Life
Laskos emphasizes livability through carefully considered floor plans. With only three to four apartments per staircase, layouts allow for natural cross-ventilation, daylight from multiple directions, and central entrances. Ribbon windows, referencing Malmi’s aviation heritage, anchor the building in local identity while enhancing interior light quality. Apartments are flexible and human-scaled, offering functional kitchens, family-sized bedrooms, and adaptable arrangements that meet the needs of different residents.

Community in Design
Beyond private apartments, Laskos fosters shared life. The ground floor houses a flexible common space, accessible both from the courtyard and the street, for gatherings, remote work, or children’s play. Semi-outdoor greenhouse-like areas extend living into nature, adding seasonal variety and a sense of openness.

Interior Design That Enlivens
Silvana’s contribution brought a human scale to the interiors, ensuring that spatial logic, lighting, and materiality supported both everyday comfort and long-term durability. We also designed the visual identity and layout of the final competition materials, ensuring the proposal communicated its vision with clarity and coherence. Beyond design, Silvana played a key role in bringing the team together: we compiled, maintained, and facilitated the shared project materials throughout the process, ensuring that every team member could review, comment, and contribute to the evolving proposal.

Built for the Future
Laskos is more than a competition entry: it is a statement on how Helsinki’s future homes can be inclusive, sustainable, and deeply rooted in place. For Silvana, it also marks a milestone as our first competition win — a project that reflects both collaboration and conviction. The project now looks ahead toward further development, with plots reserved for the winning proposals until the end of 2026.

Read more from:
A-Kruunu website
City of Helsinki website

A Vision for Inclusive and Thoughtful Urban Living

Laskos – A Winning Proposal for the Re-thinking Urban Housing programme by the City of Helsinki

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