In 1985, the City of Kuopio and the National Board of Housing organized an invited competition for the design of State-subsidized housing complex and a daycare centre to be built in the Petonen suburb, south of the city centre.

The execution follows the main principles of the winning competition entry.

The two and three storey apartment buildings line the wooded hill in rows of equal height. They delineate a park-like central yard which is accessed through narrow gateways in the buildings. Maunolanmäki daycare centre is situated in the middle of the block.

The block is outwardly straightforward and clear. On the yard side, the undulating elevations fenced front yards on differing levels, and the numerous outside stairways with slanting roofs make the environment more varied. Each apartment has its own entrance from the yard. A roofed outside stairway leads to each of the first-floor apartments.

The largest apartments are split level, with the vestibule, kitchen and living room on the ground (yard) level and the bedrooms downstairs on the streetward side.

The residents’ ‘common room’ and sauna sections with verandas are in the old outbuilding in the yard.

The two-storeys daycare centre bounds the block yard on the southwest edge of the area.

The elevations of all the buildings are of rendered red brick; painted wood is also used in the daycare centre and in the outbuildings.

Principal designers of the housing complex and daycare centre were Kari Järvinen, Timo Airas and Mikko Aho. They were assisted by Sakari Himanen, Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen, Päivi Jääskeläinen, Laura Amplo Rella, Rose-Marie Schnizler and Taina Silmujärvi.

Source: Finnish Architectural Review 1/1990