Cloud City

Helsinki is currently developing new sustainable methods for building the city. Primarily these projects aim at increasing density at the expense of urban sprawl. One question is how to make existing built areas denser, and another, where and how to build tall. The Cloud City project was designed as one possible answer. As its site the project uses the large courtyard of the 1930’s Nokia cable factory block, Merikortteli. It aims at combining the single-family-house typology with a central location and high-rise views. This is achieved by using a newbuilt office building as a base on which the residential building is placed to elevate it above the ridge line of the existing building. Cloud City is literally two different architectures piled on top of each other. These two identities are never present simultaneously so they can be completely optimized for their own uses and conditions. Both sections have adopted a type of camouflage relating to their specific situations.

The lower office section has a façade that reflects the surrounding brick walls, becoming a distorted reflection of its container. Its form and reflective façades direct additional light into the yard in the winter, while in the summer it provides shade against overheating. The apartments above are made up of one-room-sized units, creating a small-scale, detached house feel. The private terraces and greenhouses give a sense of having your own garden. Each apartment has magnificent views to the sea and across central Helsinki. On the scale of the cityscape, the pixelated shape, lined by reflective glass railings and conservatories, gets the building to blend into the skyline. The courtyard is designed to be converted to a public garden, with the ground level containing public functions. The 9th floor will house a public café with unobstructed views to the sea.