In Tikkurila, one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse areas in the Helsinki metropolitan region, OOPEAA has designed a project that strongly signifies the city’s main public space, building a multifunctional complex in the Town Hall Square to meet the needs of a dynamic and lively citizenry.

The project, with its L-shaped layout and integrated into a city block, includes a church located at an angle which acts as a pivot between two adjacent buildings: one, to the southwest, houses the Tikkurila Bethania housing block with 244 flats of varying types – from studios to duplexes – 162 of which are for students and 62 are low-cost flats; the other, to the north, includes the parish offices.

In the residential building, a wide variety of communal spaces such as saunas, rooftop terraces, meeting spaces, shops and restaurants facilitate social interaction and community life.

In the church, the main hall with a capacity for 500 people is flexibly designed to accommodate a variety of simultaneous functions through appropriate subdivisions; the cafeteria and courtyard provide pleasant spaces for rest and interaction.

The complex fits delicately into the urban context characterised by the dominant use of bricks: the external facades are entirely covered with glazed bricks in various chromatic tones which enliven the mighty walls. To reduce the visual impact of the building, the geometry of the volumes is articulated according to a play on levels, lowering the building near the entrances to allow the perception of a “human scale” of the complex. Green roofs and solar panels help reduce the building's ecological footprint.

In the interiors, durable, natural materials such as cement and wood characterise essential but pleasant spaces, signifying the warmth of a welcoming, inclusive community.