This rather large housing scheme by Anttinen Oiva Architects, containing two housing management companies, Hiidenporras and Kissankita, is an interesting intervention and rehabilitation of a former industrial area near downtown Helsinki. The street side is composed of a 3-story pedestal in red brick, with commercial spaces and some office and studio facilities on the ground floor, and five apartment blocks of different heights and rendered white. The back side facing the old workshops is characterised by four semi-public U-shaped courtyards elevated on first-floor level.

The apartment blocks are built around a central core containing the staircase with three to four apartments per floor distributed in a radial system. The apartments vary in size and benefit from the oblique forms of the blocks providing daylight, natural ventilation and windows facing multiple directions.

Aleksis Kiven katu 19 housing block was selected in the Finnish Architecture Biennial Review 2018. Extract from the jury report:

”The jury compliments the solid brick work in the pedestal, the language of the openings and the duality of the two vertical layers clad with different materials. The raised courtyards are interesting because of the outdoor areas they offer and the visual connection to the future park in front of them.”