The daycare centre Misteli, designed by architect Mikko Kaira, was built on a pine heath slope descending into a residential housing area. The façades of the single-storey houses are of red brick and white-painted boards.

The new daycare centre both blends into and stands out from its surroundings. Its white-painted wooden parts link it to the other houses in the area, while its other primary material, solid log, distinguish it as a separate entity as the only public building in the area. The construction material is thus wood treated in a variety of ways. All the log surfaces and board-covered terraces have been treated with a mixture of linseed oil and tar. Environmentally friendly surface treatments have also been used elsewhere in the building.

The yard of the daycare centre open to the south-west. Supported by pillars, part of the building projects out over an old gravel pit which already existed on the site, creating an exciting playing space beneath the house. A freely winding fence surrounds the yard with light fixtures designed especially for the daycare centre.

Source: Finnish Architectural Review 4/1998

Location

Tulppaanitie 44, Vantaa
60.3158076, 25.0047566

Images

View from the street, Misteli Daycare Centre
View from the street, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
View to the main entrance, Misteli Daycare Centre
View to the main entrance, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Elevation details, Misteli Daycare Centre
Elevation details, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Entrance terrace , Misteli Daycare Centre
Entrance terrace , Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
High façade louvre, Misteli Daycare Centre
High façade louvre, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Timber joint, Misteli Daycare Centre
Timber joint, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Communal area, Misteli Daycare Centre
Communal area, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Natural light filtered by the louvre, Misteli Daycare Centre
Natural light filtered by the louvre, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Matti Karjanoja / MFA)
Site plan, Misteli Daycare Centre
Site plan, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Kaira–Lahdelma–Mahlamäki Architects)
Floor plan, Misteli Daycare Centre
Floor plan, Misteli Daycare Centre (© Kaira–Lahdelma–Mahlamäki Architects)

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