Juha Leiviskä in the Finnish Architectural Review 1/1990:

The grounds of the Aurora Hospital form an exceptionally pleasant institutional environment, consisting of pavilion-like buildings and park yards. The tiled roofs of Aurora are strikingly original and rare in a modern cityscape in Finland.

This area is separated from the railway and the street alongside it by a steep cliff which is part of the hospital area. This cliff forms an extension to the frontage of office buildings in Länsi-Pasila.

The design project (1985–89) initially covered the whole area. The assignment was to find a location and design for city rental flats which would harmonize in scale and character with the hospital area and the cityscape.

The buildings have been placed on the very edge of the cliff closest to the railway. The character of this grouping, in turn, is dictated by its more general relationship with the cityscape. The highest point of the cliff separates the two building groups left free for use as a park and yard.

The distribution of the apartments, which are mainly small ones, creates a framework for a lively and sculpture-like environmental entity. The spatial principle has been to provide all apartments with a view in at least two directions, one invariably towards the west and the cliffs. The apartments have been grouped along winding hallways, which open onto the railway between the stairwell and lift towers. This was meant to produce a ‘village street’ with varying views, a shared ‘common room’ which would promote interaction between residents.

Location

Veturitie 4, Helsinki
60.19422395, 24.92943706

Images

Auroranlinna housing
Auroranlinna housing (© Arno de la Chapelle / Helander Leiviskä Architects)
Auroranlinna housing
Auroranlinna housing (© Arno de la Chapelle / Helander Leiviskä Architects)
Auroranlinna housing
Auroranlinna housing (© Arno de la Chapelle / Helander Leiviskä Architects)
Auroranlinna housing
Auroranlinna housing (© Arno de la Chapelle / Helander Leiviskä Architects)
Preliminary sketch, Auroranlinna housing
Preliminary sketch, Auroranlinna housing (© Helander Leiviskä Architects)
Site plan, Auroranlinna housing
Site plan, Auroranlinna housing (© Helander Leiviskä Architects)

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