Kellokas is an example of a comprehensive sustainable building project. It is an ensemble of two urban, small residential units, built as a semi-detached house. The building process began to evolve after an encounter of three different families, who decided to build their homes as a joint-venture project. The project by Karin Krokfors Architects Ltd was completed in 2011.

The building is an experiment that aims to affect every aspect of sustainability – the ecological, the sociocultural and the economical. The project also challenges homogenous housing production; the main objectives from this point of view have been ecology, housing solutions and the possibility to affect the quality of building and the choice of materials.

At the starting point, the guiding principles of the project were sustainability, ecology, and flexibility. Several different forms of renewable energy, for example, solar collectors, geothermal heat and heat-retaining fireplaces, are being utilized in the housing project. The energy consumption demanded a lot of planning, as, from the point of view of the “passive house” concept, the houses face the wrong compass point. Regardless the architect wanted to design the openings according to the demands of the urban context, rather than from a unilaterally ecological starting point. This led the decision to utilize a system based on renewable energy. This way Kellokas also respects its historical settings, as the buildings design links with the old factory buildings and power plant nearby.

The building’s walls are massive, breathing stone structure constructed of ceramic honeycomb building blocks and a traditional solid fired brick. This kind of masonry wall does not gather mould and the indoor air remains healthy. All the materials used in the building are durable and of high quality. The spaces in the building are multifunctional and can re-organize, for example from living space to a workspace or even an office, depending on the needs of the inhabitant at each time.

Source: Finnish Architectural Review 4/2011