Five entries selected for the second phase in the Leppävaara idea competition

The entries selected for the second phase are Kroketti, Lanternat, Super-Plus, Taikavarpu and Walkaround.

“We have sought a strong and consistent core idea, which will be refined to be feasible with already selected property developers in the second phase of the competition,” says Olli Isotalo, Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment.

Competitors can develop their entries based on feedback from the jury.

All 56 proposals received in the first phase were available online during the spring. The public had the opportunity to comment on and upvote them until 5 April. A total of 1,136 comments and approximately 1,800 upvotes were received.

“There were a lot of good comments from the public that were submitted to the jury. Commenting has been well-informed and professional,” says Mika Rantala, Project Director of Leppävaara.

“The jury emphasised, among other things, the entries’ consistent core idea, potential for development and feasibility in its selection. Of course, the entry being suitable specifically for the city centre area was also considered. This meant that the five best entries selected by the jury did not match the outcome of the public vote,” Rantala continues.

The entries developed in the second phase will also later be available online for public commenting.

The City of Espoo organises the competition in cooperation with the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).

Results of the idea competition published in early 2024

The idea competition aims to find an overall plan for the area north of the railway tracks—one that is of high quality in terms of architecture, urban structure and functionality as well as financially feasible. Now the area is dominated by railway tracks and streets. The aim is to develop the environment into an appealing and pleasant urban centre.

Based on the competition, an overall plan will be created for the Leppävaara centre. This plan will steer detailed planning in the area for the next 10 to 20 years.

Alongside the idea competition, the city is looking for implementers to the competition area through a planning reservation application process. The outcome of the idea competition will be utilised as a selection criterion. One or several planning reservations will be negotiated together with the construction or property sector operators representing the workgroup(s) who won the idea competition.

The entries selected for the second phase and all entries of the first phase are available on the competition’s website until the end of the second phase. The results of the idea competition will be published in early 2024.