Puukuokka Housing Block

Puukuokka is the first eight-story heigh wooden apartment building in Finland. Developed in collaboration with Lakea, it is an energy-efficient trio of multi-story wood-framed flats in the Jyväskylä suburb of Kuokkala, neighbouring the Kuokkala church also designed by OOPEAA.

The Puukuokka apartment complex is comprised of three 6-8 story buildings. The first building in the Puukuokka complex is now complete and the other two buildings will be built over the next two years. The complex offers 150 flats with a combined floor area of approx. 10,000 m2. The buildings are composed of prefabricated cubical modules made of cross laminated timber (CLT) utilizing the Urban MultiStory concept developed by Stora Enso. Planned in collaboration with the Jyväskylä City Planning Department, the project will visually enhance the townscape while offering affordable, eco-efficient housing that is easily adaptable to changing needs over time.

Puukuokka is constructed with prefabricated modules that are fully prepared and finished in controlled indoor conditions. They are then brought to the construction site ready to be simply plugged in much like building a structure out of Lego pieces. Even the façade is made using prefabricated and finished elements that are installed on site in phases corresponding to the progress of the installation of the modular elements. This makes it possible to achieve a higher quality in the end result than would be possible in a traditional construction process. The central hallway is the only part of the building that is constructed on site. This cuts the construction time on site down to six months, a very valuable advantage in the northern climate conditions in Finland. The use of modular prefabricated elements ensures a uniform high standard of quality and minimizes delays and other weather-related problems during the construction process. On the courtyard side, the façade made of larch wood has been left untreated. On the side facing the street, spruce has been used and it has been treated with a coat of dark paint. On the courtyard side the façade is animated with extruding balconies while the majority of the balconies are recessed and provided with sliding glass doors covering the entire length and height of the interior wall and opening up vistas into the surrounding landscape.

A sense of openness and wealth of light is present also in the shared hallways of the apartment building. They are more spacious than usual and offer a rhythmically arranged series of views opening out to the landscape of forest and hills around. The plan of the apartments is efficiently arranged and the presence of wood in the interior surfaces adds an element of warmth and quality to the living spaces. The building is characterized by an overall fine quality of the wooden surfaces and by carefully thought out, yet straightforward detailing.
Each apartment is composed of two modules, one housing the living room, the balcony and the bedroom, the other housing the bathroom, the kitchen and the foyer area. Puukuokka also pilots a low-cost, low-risk financing model for home-buyers.

The building has been awarded the 2015 Finlandia Prize for Architecture.

High efficient façade

Low-emitting materials and finishes

Sustainable sourced timber

Smart design (passive design strategies)

Regional materials